Son of Hogwarts
by DZ2
Summary: Forget-Me-Not Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful and then some: he's forgotten everything: his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an offer to help Harry, the future of the Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path; Grey Powerful Harmony; CoS/PoA/GoF AU; AD/MW Bashing; Mild RW bashing
1. Who Am I?

Son of Hogwarts: A Harry Potter Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the associated characters; all copyright goes to JK Rowling; I do own any OC spells explained at the end of a chapter;

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**FORGET-ME-NOT CHALLENGE:****During one of his many death-defying adventures, Harry suffers an accident and, when he awakens he either:**

**A: Loses his memory completely with NO CHANCE of getting it back**

**OR**

**B: Can't remember who he is, but does eventually remember**

_**Rules: **_If challenge A, Harry CANNOT recall anything after July 31st of his first year at Hogwarts or, failing that, can't remember who he is!

If challenge B, Harry must regain his memory through flashbacks and snippets of memory_ End of CoS and through PoA and GoF;_

Severitus

Must be set any year before – but not including – 5th Year _2nd/3rd/4th year_

Grey or Dark Harry _Grey with occasional Dark moments_

Pairings must be H/Hr, HP/LL, HP/DG or HP/DM _H/Hr of course_

Harry must sever ties with Ron and see him for what he is: a greedy, waste of space.

Even if she does not become his paired person, Hermione MUST remain Harry's friend

Harry must not trust Dumbledore

_**Suggestions: **_Harry siding with Tom _No_

Harry becoming a Slytherin _Yes_

Bindings on Harry's magic _Yes_

Harry knowing about the Horcrux/prophecy _Yes_

Severus reconciling with Sirius and Remus _Eventually_

Other Weasleys choosing to stick with Harry _Yes_

Harry undergoing a full personality change _Yes_

_**Forbidden: **_Harry sticking with Dumbledore

Hermione going against Harry

The Golden Trio remaining together

Neville or Luna bashing

Light Harry

**OTHER THAN THAT, IT IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU!**

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _From Out of the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Tags: **Greyish Powerful Harry; Severitus; Good Draco; Neutrally-Allied Harry; AU of 3rd book onwards;

Eventual Harry/Hermione

Eventual Neville/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

Chapter 1: Who Am I?

"_So…you first Mr Potter; say goodbye to your memories…_OBLIVIATE!"

The flash of light came almost unexpectedly, Ron being unable to do anything but watch as his best friend was hit with the spell, Harry's body being thrown back against the wall of the Chamber's tunnel. In the same moment, the wand exploded in Lockhart's hand, sending him flying into the wall opposite, the impact with solid stone proving that, when flesh met stone, stone often won.

A fierce snapping sound filled the tunnel and, as Ron looked around, he noted that Harry was already struggling to his feet, his eyes apparently glazed over as he looked at Lockhart and Ron.

"Who…" he began, but Ron gasped as words and fatigue both failed him;

The Boy Who Lived fell to the floor, leaving Ron to do the only thing he could in a time such as this:

Scream…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

At the same time that Ron's scream echoed around the Chamber's tunnel, a mysterious and ancient magic seemed to awaken from within Hogwarts herself, the power of this magic spreading through to specific points in the castle's structure.

In a chamber not too far from where Harry and Ron were left with a now dead Lockhart, a flash of green lit up the Chamber, incinerating a diary held by a young girl that was seemingly unconscious, a long drawling hiss being echoed with Ron's scream as its power was obliterated;

In a particularly well-furnished office, a phoenix let out a shriek of shock and disbelief as an old hat opposite him seemed to glow before lifting off its pedestal, a golden sword dropping from within the hat;

In a secluded corner of the seventh floor, a room that could only be found by those who seemed to know what they desired suddenly appeared, the magic from within that room taking the form of a blue streak that shot out of the door and down through Hogwarts, before coalescing with its brethren around the fallen Gryffindor.

Finally, away from Hogwarts, but by no means away from the fate that had befallen him, an excitable House Elf found himself glowing with a strong yellow colour before he was stripped of his bond with his former Master and, in a flash of colour, the elf was now wearing a robe bearing the Hogwarts Crest, a sharp voice telling him, "Get to Hogwarts: your new master will need you."

The house elf, named Dobby, needed no real instruction other than that as he said goodbye to an old abusive life once and for all…

And, all the while, as these four almost random events were going on, three streaks of colour – one red, one green and one yellow – joined the blue streak around the fallen body of Harry James Potter, the other boy already having fainted from shock at seeing the idiot teacher fall down dead. Within the four streaks, four ancient spirits awoke and began to pour their magic into the boy, their unspoken agreement coming into effect as each knew the same thing;

The life of Harry James Potter would never be the same ever again…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Who was he?

Where was he?

Why did his head hurt?

All these words flooded the mind of the young child in the white pyjamas as consciousness came back to him, his eyes watering with the aftermath of great pain as he tried to get a bearing of his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on something that appeared to be a bed and what looked like curtains were placed around him, keeping him from the view of the world outside…wherever this was.

'Who am I?' wondered the boy, rubbing at his forehead as a small tingle of pain shot through him, 'How did I get here?'

It was surprising enough that the boy couldn't remember his own name, but that was the case: he didn't know where he was or even what his name was; he didn't know how he had gotten there and, though he couldn't recall much before waking in this bed and in this mysterious place, he knew enough to know that he was safe and being taken care of.

Peering around the small space where his bed was located, the boy turned his head slowly as he saw what looked like cards placed next to him, one of them reading the words _To Harry_ inside its covering; Harry?

Was that his name?

He liked that name…Harry; it certainly beat calling himself Boy all the time; so…he was Harry, but where in the name of all that he could recall was he?

Before any kind of answer could rear its head, the apparently newly-named Harry looked in the direction of the curtains as he saw a rather kind-looking woman in a strange and unfamiliar set of clothes walk through the gap in the curtains.

Once again, Harry didn't know how or why, but he had this feeling that he could trust this person: she seemed kind and, from how she was dressed, Harry would guess she was someone who helped others.

"Oh!" gasped the woman, seeing Harry awake was clearly a shock for her: why was it such a shock and why did she seem to know him when he didn't know her? The woman seemed to speak again, "Mr Potter…you're finally awake: how do you feel?"

"I'm sorry," Harry replied, confused at the name that she had used on him: who was Potter and what was its significance? "Are…are you talking to me Miss?"

"Oh dear," the woman replied, now moving to his side and, being as gentle as she could, she took his hand and seemed to peer into his eyes: through some sort of recognition, Harry saw that she was saddened by something. He hadn't meant to upset her, so, in an attempt to try and fix it, Harry gave the woman a smile.

It seemed to work as she asked, "Potter, do you know who I am?"

"No Ma'am," Harry replied honestly, his own voice actually startling him: he sounded like a child, but there was almost a break in his voice: was he meant to be an older child?

A teen…ager?

"I'm sorry if anything I've said upsets you."

"If anyone should be sorry," the woman scowled, "It's that fraud Lockhart: personally, it's a good thing he's dead or I'd kill him!"

'Dead?' thought Harry in shock, 'I killed someone? Am I a murderer?'

As if seeing the shock in his eyes, the mysterious woman placed a comforting hand on his cheek as she told him, "Don't worry Potter, you've got nothing to be sorry for: he deserved his fate for being such a fraud and trying to endanger you and…" she seemed to trail off as she asked, "Potter, can you tell me your full name?"

"Harry," Harry answered, his face showing a soft smile as he asked, "Why do you keep calling me Potter?"

"Oh no," the woman replied, clearing her throat as if to hide her shock; taking his hands, she placed them against her chest as she explained, "Let's try this again Potter: if _I'm_ Poppy Pomfrey, then that is my full name: what about you…Harry?"

"Just…Harry," Harry answered, his smile increasing as he now knew the name of his carer: Miss Poppy Pomfrey; it was a nice name and she definitely seemed to care about him.

Looking around, Harry then asked, "I'm sorry, but can you tell me where I am?"

"You're in the Hospital Wing Mr Potter," Poppy answered, seemingly becoming firm as she added, "And that's your full name by the way, which is why I call you Potter: your name is Harry Potter and you're in the Hospital Wing at school."

"I go to school?" asked Harry; okay, so he was clearly an older child, but still went to school, which put him somewhere around the teenage years: how he knew that though was a clear mystery to him.

"Of course you do," Poppy insisted; she actually seemed to be crying and Harry hated seeing that: he didn't want anyone to cry, least of all because of something he said or did.

Poppy continued, "Oh my stars what did that monster do to you? Harry, listen to me very carefully because I am going to ask you something very personal."

"Oh…" Harry gulped, his eyes narrowed as he tried not to show his own displeasure at seeing someone crying for him, "Okay Miss Pomfrey."

"Harry…sweetie," Poppy smiled, keeping hold of the boy: if he answered this like she feared, then Poppy actually thought she may faint, "Who…who were your parents?"

"I…" Harry seemed to actually think about that question, though when he failed, he broke down and sobbed into Poppy's embrace, "I…I can't…can't remember: why can't I remember my parents?"

It was a good thing that Poppy was now comforting the boy in her arms;

It was all that stopped her from fainting…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"HE SAID WHAT?"

Minerva McGonagall, in her role as Head of Gryffindor House, had gone to check on Potter and found Poppy leaving the bed where the boy's sniffles and sobs could still be heard, Poppy managing to convince him to rest as she saw the stern Head of House approaching.

Guiding Minerva into her office, Poppy had explained about Harry's waking and it was the fact that he had said he couldn't remember his own parents or his name that had Minerva roaring like the lion that her House represented.

"I didn't want to believe it either Minerva," Poppy explained, the door to her office thankfully closed as she didn't want any more shocks to terrify the boy, "He can't remember Lily, James or the fact that he's resting in a school for magic users: what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Minerva replied, her hand on her heart as she thought of one of her braver lions and the fate he was being forced to endure, "If this were any other situation, I would pass it on to Albus, but he's still being investigated by the Board for his actions with that accursed Chamber. What about the date? His age? His magic?"

"No; no and no," Poppy answered, having already asked Harry these questions after he had calmed down, "Thankfully I was able to fill in a few gaps for him: he knows he's twelve years and ten months old, but he refuses to accept that he has some sort of magic power…his words," she added, seeing Minerva open her mouth to argue. "I doubt he could even tell you the name of his best friend if you asked him: what are we going to do Minerva?"

"The first thing," Minerva answered, "That we're _not_ going to do is panic: this _is_ Harry Potter, a boy that should by all accounts have died all those years ago; we can figure this…oh Merlin: does he know about _that?_"

"You think I'm going to tell a child who can't even remember his parents that they're dead?" asked Poppy, "And I thought that Severus was the one with the short…what is it?" she asked, seeing a look of revelation crossing Minerva's face as she mentioned the Slytherin Head.

"Severus!" she exclaimed, looking to the window where the poor boy's bed was located, "He's a qualified Mind Healer: we have to try and convince him to help us help Harry."

"You want to tell Severus Snape," asked Poppy incredulously, "The one who hates Harry worse than any of the students that his only chance lies with the man himself?"

"I never said it was a good idea," Minerva explained, "But it is the right thing to do: besides, if I know Severus, I highly doubt he'd abandon someone so helpless so easily: if you want, I'll fetch Severus and you can go up to the tower and bring Mr Weasley and Miss Granger down here: maybe some familiar faces will help."

"I hope you're right Minerva," Poppy sighed, watching as Minerva left the office and left the wing, both women sparing one last look to the bed where Harry Potter was currently giving new meaning to the phrase _lights on, but no-one's home_, "For his sake more than anything."

'For all our sakes,' Minerva thought, already moving to try and make the impossible possible, 'Especially Albus' if that boy doesn't make it through this…because I'll send him to join that fraud who did this to one of my cubs!'

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Sitting with his knees curled up to his chest, Harry tried to think about what the nice woman, Poppy Pomfrey, had told him before she left him to speak with someone she'd said was a friend: he was twelve years old…well, twelve years and ten months, but what Harry was finding it hard to believe was the fact that she had told him that he had magical powers.

When she had asked about him knowing what magic was, Harry had replied in the negative before she'd asked if he knew about his magic: with another negative, Harry had denied he had any magical powers and that he was just Harry.

Without any memories to help the boy fall back on, Poppy had gone to her office and spoken with Minerva, so, when Harry had heard the door to the Hospital Wing opening and two sets of footfalls leaving the room, he'd managed to pluck up the courage to think about what he'd heard: magic?

He…had magic…or some sort of magical power?

Was that why he was in a school?

Was it like one of those places where people were sent for being…different? Cut off from the rest of the world?

Freaks?

'Am…' Harry wondered, looking to his left hand, his eyes as lost as the rest of him, 'Am I…a freak?'

If he was, then why would someone like Miss Pomfrey be so nice to him and want to help him deal with…whatever was wrong with him?

Freaks didn't deserve kindness…

'Whoa,' Harry thought, a note of shock coupled with a pain that made his forehead tingle, 'Where did _that _thought come from?'

Even as he tried to think about it, Harry felt his thoughts, his conscience and his memories once more submit to the darkness that he had woken up in, his head resting against his knees as he wondered what kind of person he really was…and why he would forget anything about his life;

Namely why he would forget the names of the people that had given him life?

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Severus Snape would have always sworn blind that if Minerva McGonagall entered the dungeons of Slytherin territory of her own free will, then it would be a cold day in hell.

So, when she not only turned up at his office, but also told him that she, the infamous defender of Gryffindors everywhere, needed his help, him, the greasy bat of Slytherin, Severus was sure that even the Devil himself was wearing a thick heated coat to fight the Antarctic cold that had entered his domain.

Dismissing the fifth year Ravenclaws that he was teaching at the time, Severus had told Minerva to wait for him at his office and, as he'd approached, the Potions Master finally managed to ask, "And why would you need my help when you are more than capable of dealing whatever this problem is yourself?"

"Because I need your…other skills," Minerva explained, following Severus into his office, the Head of Slytherin scowling as he waited for her to be more specific with her request.

She didn't disappoint him as she added, "You're a qualified Mind Healer as well as a recognised Master Legilimens: the problem I have requires both of those skills."

Her voice and the tone therein, had Severus' blood running colder than the coldest breezes: something was wrong with this picture and it wasn't just the fact that the Alpha Lioness had wandered willingly into the den of the Serpent Leader.

She was being deadly serious about this, but there was just one thing that Severus wanted her to say, "Just tell me that it doesn't have anything to do with that arrogant brat Potter or…"

He'd turned to Minerva as he'd said those words and the loss in her expression, coupled with the usual tight-lipped glare she gave him whenever he or one of the snakes targeted her lion cubs, cut him off, Severus' tone changing in an instant as he exclaimed, "No Minerva: no chance in hell: I will not be assistance to that arrogant little brat. Whatever the spoilt prince wants, you will have to…"

SMACK!

_That_ was the last thing that Severus had expected, but Minerva's face was now one of tear-streaked rage, her voice cutting into him with the roar of the protective lioness that she was, "Shut your mouth about him Severus: do you know? I have put up with your complaints and jibes against Harry Potter for two years now, but I kept my peace because I believed that boy could prove to you that he is _not_ James: and now, when he needs you most, you betray your oath of healer's aide and your duties as a tutor because of some _childish_ squabbles. Very well…"

Here, she turned on her heel and Severus actually gulped as he could feel the magic pouring off his colleague: whatever was wrong with Potter, it was more serious than he thought.

As she left, Minerva added, "If you won't do it because of that little upset, then consider this in your calculations Severus: Potter…Harry, at this moment in time, is up in the Hospital Wing sobbing his heart out because he cannot even remember _who_ his parents were, never mind what they did to others."

For the first time in two years, Severus Snape felt his cold heart suddenly become warm with worry and shock as he thought about Minerva's words: Potter couldn't remember?

"Tell me what happened," he muttered, Minerva hiding a smile as she turned back to him, an almost amused expression in her eyes as she thought about the last arrogant, insolent member of the male society that had felt her hand;

Irony of ironies: it had been none other than James Potter…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Hearing the door to the Hospital Wing opening once more, Harry lifted his head from his hunched position and mentally counted down the moments until the curtains were pulled aside and Miss Pomfrey returned, but this time she wasn't alone: with her were two other children – students, he had to remind himself – who both looked stunned and almost frightened to be standing there.

One was a red-haired boy with a gangly sort of body; his face was covered in freckles and, when he saw Harry, he seemed to try and hide his shock behind a mask of friendly smiles.

His companion, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to hide her shock or her fear: no sooner had she let herself see Harry before she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, Harry being both stunned and confused as the girl held him, her tears dampening the pyjamas he was wearing.

She was a bushy, brown-haired girl with sparkling brown eyes and rather large front teeth, but Harry didn't let anything that would dissuade this girl distract him from the fact that, in some crazy way, he suspected that, like Miss Pomfrey, both this girl and the freckle-faced boy knew him.

Were they siblings?

Companions?

Friends?

Deciding to voice his thoughts, Harry asked, "Sorry if I upset you here Miss, but…who are you?"

"Bloody hell," the boy gasped, Harry almost laughing as he saw Miss Pomfrey give the boy a cuff around the back of his head, no doubt for his language, "You weren't joking."

"I never joke Mr Weasley," Poppy informed him, Harry noticing the girl now moving her arms from around him, though she did remain at his side as if she owed him some sort of unspoken loyalty. "Harry, these are two other students of the school that also happen to be friends of yours: Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger have been friends with you since…well, since you started here."

"That…" the girl, Hermione sobbed, wiping her eye as she shook her head, "That's not…entirely true Madam Pomfrey: if Harry needs our help, then we shouldn't lie." Here, she looked to the Ron boy and Harry thought he saw a look of unexpressed rage in her eyes as she explained, "You and Ron were friends pretty much from the beginning, but it was only after…after you saved my life that I became your friend."

"Though technically," Ron insisted, Harry suddenly getting an image of a peacock as he puffed himself up, "It was _me_ that did the saving: I cast the spell that saved Hermione; all you did was…"

"Risk his own health and safety to distract the thing that threatened me," Hermione snarled, Harry feeling both confused and a little bit scared: he had been in a near life-or-death situation to save someone that he called a friend?

Was what Miss Pomfrey was saying all true?

Was this really a school where things magical happened?

"Well…yeah," Ron agreed, both of them now looking to Harry, who was still a little confused.

Looking from Ron to Hermione, as there was admittedly something about the red-head that had Harry's senses crying out the danger signals, as if he was a keeper of secrets and a deceiver, but without his memories, there was nothing Harry could say to back up that thought.

Harry coughed before he asked, "Miss Granger…"

"You always called me Hermione," explained the brown-haired girl, smiling as she saw that Harry had the strength to speak and wasn't afraid…just confused.

"Hermione," Harry corrected himself, "Miss…sorry, Madam Pomfrey – he remembered what Hermione had called her – told me that I have…magic: is it true?"

"Yes," Hermione explained, Ron rolling his eyes as he wondered if this was actually some big joke: more than anyone, Harry wouldn't forget he had magic.

He was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived for Merlin's sake!

Hermione continued, "This is Hogwarts: a school of magic and we: you, Ron and I, we're members of a school House called Gryffindor."

"House?" asked Harry, earning another gasp of horror from Hermione: something about the way she was saddened by his words seemed to drive a spike through Harry.

He didn't know why and he couldn't really remember, but there was something about Hermione that made Harry feel like he wanted to protect her: there was something in her eyes that said she'd just recovered from some sort of danger and, for a weird reason, Harry had a feeling that he was somehow involved.

Keeping herself calm, her heart breaking as she looked upon the innocent young man that sat before her, Hermione explained, "A House is like…a camp: a team, if you will and here at Hogwarts, there are four: Gryffindor, which we're members of with some of our friends; then there's Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

"Where the slimy gits live," Ron muttered, his words unheard by the others, but not by Harry: seriously, those danger signals in Harry were now like fire alarms in his head.

"We were sorted…placed," Hermione corrected, seeing Harry wanting to ask about that, "Into Gryffindor last year and we learn about magic from our teachers and people like Madam Pomfrey."

"Though I _am_ the school medi-witch," Poppy added, looking now to Harry as she felt calmer with Miss Granger explaining the situation, "And I have also encountered you three in here a few times over the time you were here: we used…your friends and I used to joke that we should put a bed for you in here permanently."

"Harry," Hermione asked, now meeting the apparently life-less, spark-devoid eyes of the Boy-Who-Lived, "Don't…don't you remember…anything? Our friendship? What we did together? Nothing?"

"No," Harry replied, lowering his eyes as he thought about what his awakening and the events beforehand seemed to have robbed from him, "I'm sorry Miss…Hermione; I can't remember a thing…not even my parents."

"Not like it matters anyway," Ron added, Hermione looking to him in enraged determination as she hoped he wouldn't say it: he didn't notice or pay heed to her unspoken warning, "Since they're dead."

"Ronald!"

"WHAT?" asked Harry, looking now to Hermione; the fact that she couldn't meet his gaze told him enough: it was true; bad enough that he couldn't remember his parents, but they were also dead?

"No…" Harry pulled his knees back to his chest, his voice breaking with fear as he gasped, "No: it can't be true…no!"

"Thank you…Mr Weasley," a soft, silken voice exclaimed, Hermione gasping while Madam Pomfrey sighed with an attempt at relief: maybe now they would get some answers.

Wiping his eyes, Harry looked up to the sight of an older woman than Madam Pomfrey walking towards his bed, her eyes showing rage and sadness as she caught sight of the three students. She had auburn-coloured hair that appeared to be tied up in a bun and was dressed in a long dark red robe with a crest on the lapel that looked like a lion behind a letter G.

Her companion was the one who had spoken: he was a tall man with long, almost greasy black hair and a hooked nose; when Harry met his eyes, he saw only darkness that made him think of long cold tunnels: unlike the woman, the man's robes appeared to billow out behind him and bore no crest on the lapel: like his companion, the man also bore a look of rage that seemed to only show in his eyes; otherwise, he was tight-lipped and spoke with an apathetic, dark voice.

"I can't believe you were able to do it," Madam Pomfrey sighed, looking now to Ron as she added, "You: get out of here and say nothing of what's going on."

"Indeed not Mr Weasley," the new woman agreed, her voice holding a strange accent that Harry would later identify as being that of the Scottish, "In fact: go to my office and wait there; if anyone else learns of this, there'll be trouble and I don't just mean for you."

"Harry needs his mates," Ron insisted, but the dark-haired man cut him off with a glare, "Not this greasy bat."

"Five points from Gryffindor for insulting a teacher," the woman exclaimed, looking to Harry who she then saw was being comforted by Hermione Granger; she wasn't exactly holding him, but one arm was put around Harry's shoulders as he tried not to think about what he'd just learned.

"Make that ten Minerva," the man then added, "Five for the insult and five for being a thoughtless fool and just blurting out something you know nothing about: now, I believe you were told to leave Mr Weasley: I suggest you do it. Mr…Potter needs his friends, this is true, but what he does not need is some insolent fool who fails to think before he uses his mouth."

Ron, his head hung in defeat, left the Hospital Wing, leaving Harry with the mysterious couple, his apparent friend Hermione Granger and Madam Pomfrey, the young boy not minding that Hermione was holding him with one arm around his shoulders.

It felt…nice to be comforted after learning what he'd just learned: how could that Ron boy be so blank as to just come out and say it?

"Mr Potter," the woman then added, directing her attention to him, "Allow me to introduce myself and my companion here: I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Mistress of Hogwarts; this is Professor Severus Snape, head of Slytherin House and Potions Master of Hogwarts. You've already met Miss Granger and Madam Pomfrey, so, if you don't mind me asking: how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," Harry explained, Minerva glancing to Severus in case he had the bright idea of trying passive Legilimency: given the vulnerability of the boy he hated and the conversation they'd had, she wouldn't put it past him.

Harry, looking thankfully towards Hermione, added, "Miss Granger, sorry, Hermione here has been telling me about the Houses and how I'm…a Gryffindor: is she right?"

"She is," Minerva explained, Severus watching the boy with cold eyes; something about the way he was watching Harry was unnerving the boy and, though Minerva had drilled it into him with that slap at the delicacy of the task ahead, Severus wasn't ready to believe the Saint Potter was so helpless: not the arrogant son of James Potter.

For all Severus knew, the brat was just playing for affection and trying to cover some sort of incident that had resulted in Gilderoy's death, not that Snape would lose sleep over _that_ either.

Minerva continued addressing Harry, "As I said, I am the Head of Gryffindor and Severus here is the Head of Slytherin: there are two others at Hogwarts as well as the headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore: those others are Filius Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw and Hogwarts Charms Master and Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff and Hogwarts Herbology Mistress."

"And…why are you here…Professor?" asked Harry, using the honorific that seemed to match the woman and man standing before him, "Have…have I done…something wrong?"

"Not at all Mr Potter," Minerva replied, now indicating Severus, who was now looking like he'd been fed live scorpions as he heard the innocence in Potter's voice.

To Severus, he thought that if Potter _was_ playing for affection and kindness, then he would earn the magical equivalent of a Muggle Oscar for this performance, but Severus wasn't buying it: just because he'd been asked to help the boy didn't mean he was about the baby the brat.

Once again, Minerva picked up the conversation, "Professor Snape here also happens to have knowledge and qualifications in the art of Mind Healing and, with his help, we – that is, Madam Pomfrey and I – thought that he could help us find a way to restore some of your lost memories."

"However," Severus added, trying not to choke on the next words: if Potter was the arrogant brat, then his delight would show, "To perform such a…complex task as this requires the…permission of the one I am to use this magic on: you, Mr Potter, need to give me the permission to enter your mind and see if we can do anything to…repair your memories."

Harry's face was as apathetic as Snape himself: there was no sign of glee or delight or even a hint at pulling one off over the greasy-haired Potions Master: Severus still wouldn't buy it; he would seek out the truth in Potter's mind.

All he needed was the boy's permission and then, because of that, Severus would be able to pull the truth from Potter…one way or the other.

Looking to Hermione, Harry asked, "If…if you were in my place Hermione…what…what would you do?"

"You're asking me?" asked Hermione, stunned that her best friend was once again putting so much trust and faith in her counsel.

"We're friends aren't we?" asked Harry, trying to smile through the waves of pain that he was feeling, both mental and emotional.

"Then," Hermione replied, looking now to Professor Snape as she spoke, "I would go ahead with it, but only so far that if anything went wrong, I could ask Professor Snape to stop what he was doing: I'm sure he could respect that, couldn't you sir?"

"Yes…Miss Granger," Severus replied, but his own thoughts said otherwise: he had no intention of going easy on the brat until he stopped this attention-seeking charade.

"And we will be here all the way through," Minerva explained, Harry now feeling confident: if, according to Hermione, he was a member of the House/team that was led by the firm, stern-faced woman then he felt that he could trust her.

"All…all right," Harry nodded, swallowing hard as he faced Professor Snape, "I…I give you my permission to enter my mind Professor Snape."

Hermione had to fight very hard to hide her amusement at hearing Harry give Professor Snape the title he'd failed to do every time he'd talked about the Potions Master in the past; indeed, even Severus himself was stunned, but his victory over Potter squashed that surprise as, reaching into his robe, he withdrew his wand and pointed it at Harry.

"Remember Severus," Minerva whispered, the warning clear in her voice, "If he says to stop: you stop and, if you don't then I will make the slap I gave you seem like a tap compared to what I will do to you next."

Her warning fell on deaf ears: Severus was determined to draw Potter out no matter what it took; at the worst case, he would be left an even bigger gibbering idiot and recommended to St Mungo's, which was all right for Snape as it meant he would have up to a year free of the insolent brat: paradise for him.

Pointing his wand at Harry's forehead, Severus whispered, "Don't fight what you will feel Mr Potter; this may hurt, but it's all to help you: remember that."

"Yes sir," Harry replied calmly, his eyes never leaving the image of Hermione's face: something about her gave him strength that he didn't know existed.

As he prepared himself, Harry felt her hand in his and all his fears seemed to wash away like the tides of the sea washing sand from the beach.

"_Legilimens!_"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Severus entered the equivalent of a hurricane scene: Harry's mindscape was like an open field that led towards a dark forest, the sky overhead tormented by lightning storms and hailstones that smashed against the ground. Truthfully, Severus had never seen such a complex scene as this within any of the minds he'd had to help heal during his time as a Mind Healer's Apprentice, but unlike them, he wasn't just here to heal; he was here for the truth.

"Show yourself Potter," he commanded, "I know you're lying you insolent brat: show me your memories of the Chamber, of Lockhart; show me how he died."

As his mental self tried to move towards the forest, Severus gasped as the storms increased, the hailstones and lightning strikes now drawing closer towards him; with a cold smile, he asked, "What is it Potter? Is there some reckless little secret you don't want me to see? Is it the forest? Is Saint Potter frightened of the things that dwell in the darkness?"

'_NO,_' A loud voice echoed all around him, the lightning strikes now inches from Severus as it was clear that Harry's mind was fighting back: how did he have this power?

Albus had always said that the boy didn't have any real power because he was raised with the Muggles, a fact Severus _would_ have argued against had it not been for James Potter's torments.

'_STAY AWAY: DON'T GO IN THERE: NO…PLEASE._'

"You can feign being frightened as much as you want Potter," Severus snarled, "But your lies are over: stop this charade and I will leave your mind!"

'_I'M NOT PRETENDING!_'

The voice, Harry's voice, yelled, his words echoing in the real world and, unbeknownst to Severus, also forcing both Minerva and Madam Pomfrey to hold the man away, but the mental pressure continued, '_I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER: PLEASE, JUST DON'T GO IN THERE!_'

"If I don't go in," Severus growled, "Then I will bring your secrets out."

His wand appeared in his hand and, as he raised it, Severus commanded a spell and, at the same time, a fierce bolt of golden-coloured lightning struck him.

"ENOUGH SEVERUS SNAPE!"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"NO!"

Harry's yells drew Hermione's attention; clenching her hand around his, she looked into his eyes and saw fear, desperation and fright all gathering within the emerald orbs.

"Harry?" she asked, Minerva and Poppy both watching Severus in case he went too far.

"I'M NOT PRETENDING!" Harry screamed, Minerva putting two and two together as she grabbed Severus, her wand already pointing at Harry as she tried to sever the connection: for some unknown reason, the man would not budge: how could she have been so stupid as to take him at his word?

Harry's yells seemed to answer her unspoken question, "I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER: PLEASE JUST DON'T GO IN THERE!"

"Severus!" she yelled, but stopped as what happened next seemed to stop everyone dead: as Harry's screams died away, a powerful flash of light left Harry's body, the young boy himself now glowing with an aura that seemed to be composed of four different, but familiar colours: red, blue, green and yellow.

As Minerva and Poppy watched, the colours seemed to band together into a single bolt of golden magic that seemed to leave Harry's heart and strike Severus down, the golden energy severing the link and moving around the room, forming a golden whirlwind that protected Harry and, to the surprise of the staff, Hermione as well.

"ENOUGH SEVERUS SNAPE!"

The voice that seemed to boom from all around them was held with a strong and ancient power that seemed to draw strength from the vortex that surrounded Harry and Hermione; Severus, now free of the link, gasped in pain and shock as he grabbed his heart and his arm where a mark that had not burned for twelve years was now on fire.

Leaping to his feet, Severus noted the vortex slowly dying away and saw his chance: in a fit of rage, he lifted his hand and…hesitated, Hermione finding the time to hold Harry protectively as the golden energy swarmed around them, Severus being blown away once more, his eyes now wide with shock as he saw the energy split into the four colours once again.

"It's…impossible," Minerva whispered, watching as the four coloured spirits seemed to grow and become human in appearance, all four of them looking as different as the four Heads of House.

First was a woman in midnight-blue robes, a dark grey hem lining the robes and forming what appeared to be shoulder boards either side of her lithe form; she had raven-black hair and dark blue eyes that watched Severus before she turned to her companions; as if finishing the touches on her appearance, the woman also revealed a strange tiara-like crown on her forehead that was shaped like an eagle, a sapphire in the centre of the crown.

Next to her was a man in light-coloured robes, his face almost a resemblance of Hagrid as it was covered in light brown, almost red hair that formed a beard and moustache around his mouth; a pair of calm green eyes looked upon the members of the room as they looked at him.

He was a strong, well-built man that actually inclined his head to Minerva before he turned and, standing next to the first woman, looked down at Harry and Hermione, who was staring at each of the four people in disbelieving shock.

The next member of the mysterious quartet was a slim man with slender fingers and a balding head of white hair; he had a short-cut beard that seemed to intertwine and run down to his collar; sharp, almost cold grey eyes inspected Severus with disdain before the man turned and stood on the other side of the first two members of the quartet, though Minerva did notice a look of apprehension on the face of the man as he looked at Hermione. Around the man's neck was a silver pendant with a charm that held a letter S on either side, the letter shaped like a serpent and made from emeralds.

Finally, a second woman seemed to hold a look of rage in her blue eyes, her dark brown hair done up in a similar manner to Professor McGonagall's; she was a fairly rounded woman who was dressed in yellow robes with a brown trim and held a look that said she wasn't someone you wanted to cross – then again, they'd all held that look as they inspected the staff before moving to Harry's side.

Keeping her wand hidden, Minerva tried not to believe what she was seeing as the familiarity between the four people was just amazing: she knew who they_ looked_ like, but it was impossible: they were meant to be dead.

So, being the Deputy that she was, Minerva asked, "Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"We have always been here Minerva Annabeth McGonagall," the red-haired man insisted, his voice as strong as his appearance: at the use of her middle name, McGonagall gasped again as she realised that there were only a few who knew her name.

The black-haired woman was speaking, "We have been watching the child here since his accident: you see how he does not fear us? It is because it is our magic that has shielded him both from your arrogant so-called mentor, who I feel no shame in leaving to die, but also from that Dark wizard lying there."

She pointed a long finger towards Severus, the eyes of the man filled with horror as he looked to the four: Minerva may doubt them, but Severus saw the grey-haired man's image on an almost daily basis.

There was no doubt for the Slytherin Head of House that these four _were_ who his colleague thought them to be.

"The child wished you to stop," the grey-haired man hissed; his voice was deep and powerful and held a hissing edge to it, "And yet you continued because you sought to hurt him: had you ventured further Severus Tobias Snape, you would have found yourself in regions unknown to those who have not mastered the art. You should be ashamed to call yourself a Slytherin and a Professor for what you have done to this boy."

"Peace," the final woman insisted, her voice sharp, but light in tone: it was like listening to the sound of pure musical bliss, "We do not need to distress the boy before we have given him what we have come here to offer."

"I'm sorry," Harry finally spoke up, Minerva noticing how the boy's aura seemed to still shine with energy and untapped power, "But who exactly are you and what do you mean by offer?"

"Ah," the red-haired man laughed, tousling Harry's black hair fondly as he continued, "Courage and knowledge: he is definitely our child my dear."

"Now my husband," the dark-haired woman insisted, "Let's not frighten him: Harry James Potter, allow me to introduce us for who we are: standing on your right are Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff; the man that tousled your hair is my husband, Godric Gryffindor and I am Rowena Ravenclaw: we are the four Founders of this very school."

"I'm honoured," Harry replied, lowering his eyes from Rowena as she looked him over, "But what do you want with me?"

"We are here to help you become what you once were," Godric explained, "And it starts with my darling wife's gift to you."

"Gift?" asked Harry.

"Yes," Rowena replied, "When you lost your memories, your mind was damaged and only the magic of our combined strength can heal it: however, sadly, we cannot repair all the damage, so you must _choose_ what you wish to remember. If you want, we will let you talk it over with Miss Hermione Jane Granger and my husband's mentor representative Minerva McGonagall, but remember, we cannot bring everything back."

"What will happen while I make up my mind?" asked Harry, before he gasped as Godric, Rowena and Salazar all held their hands out, Rowena now holding the crown/tiara in her hand while Salazar was offering his pendant and Godric held a beautiful silver-forged sword that was inlaid with rubies, the name of the owner of the sword carved into the blade.

Helga, on the other hand, smiled as she moved around next to Salazar and, looking into Harry's eyes, seemed to examine him before nodding as if something was confirmed, before she held out her hand, a ring that was made from topaz and what appeared to be tiger's eye gemstones in her hand.

"This will happen," Godric explained, smiling proudly as he saw Harry extend his hand first to the sword; when he saw the Founders watching him, Godric nodded, "It's all right Harry: you may take the blade if you wish for we, the Founders of Hogwarts, have chosen to end our slumber for this."

"For what?" asked Minerva, surprised enough that these four were who they said they were.

"For him," Rowena explained, watching as Harry took Godric's Sword and held it high, the blade shining in the light of the Hospital Wing; placing the other gifts in front of the young boy, Rowena continued, "We the Founders have chosen to make our return to support him: Harry James Potter, the Son of Hogwarts and our ward!"

The clang of the sword hitting the floor had all four Founders smiling as Harry heard the words that came from the Founder of Ravenclaw…

**Chapter 1 and Harry has made some shocking discoveries and an offer he won't soon forget, but what will he choose to remember and what will he choose to let go of from the past?**

**Plus, will Severus choose to redeem himself in Harry's eyes or will the power of the Founders make him lose the last ties to one whom he called friend?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Rowena explains everything about how they came to be and Godric has a talk with Harry about what will happen with Rowena's gift; Harry chooses what he wants to remember and he comes back with more than shattered memories; plus, it seems that there's some light in the darkness when Harry makes a friend he'd sooner forget – bad joke there – and Salazar has words with his mentor representative…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story**_

**For those wondering, I reposted this story with some minor changes and alterations because of a poll I had a few weeks back: this story won it and, after clearing my mind and looking through my endless stream of ideas, I decided that this would be my Grey story.**

_**AN2: Dark Poll**_

**The Poll for my Dark-Harry Challenge posting has been changed now to only have the top four choices left from its predecessor; I'll be posting the winning story soon, but if you haven't done so, then go and cast your votes now;**

_**AN3: Memories**_

**I know what I want Harry to remember, so please don't put in the review what you think he should: everything will fall into place very soon;**


	2. Fractured Glass

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

Eventual Harry/Hermione

Eventual Neville/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Guest Reviewer 3: Some other stories have the founders coming back to help Harry, but this particular one…yeah, I did come up with the original idea when I first posted the story;**

**Daithi4377: Well, if you know my stories as well as most of my readers do, you'll know Severus is meant to be on Harry's side;**

**StormyFireDragon: Yeah Storm, it's actually under a different name, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story; also, I think we should be more worried what happens when **_**Harry**_** gets his hands on the DMW**

**Digbygreen: Ginny was recovered by the magic of the Founders that spread through the school, but she'll be making a return soon;**

**Dkroisch: Hopefully, I'll finish it;**

_"We the Founders have chosen to make our return to support him: Harry James Potter, the Son of Hogwarts and our ward!"_

_The clang of the sword hitting the floor had all four Founders smiling as Harry heard the words that came from the Founder of Ravenclaw…_

Chapter 2: Fractured Glass

Harry had been examining the blade given to him by the strong, apparently powerful man known as Godric Gryffindor when the woman known as Rowena Ravenclaw had made that announcement, forcing him to drop the sword to the floor with a clang.

Gasping and stammering his apologies, Harry went to retrieve the sword, but Godric got there first, bending down and retrieving his ancient blade, his lips twisted into a smile as he handed Harry the weapon. He could understand the child's disbelief: it wasn't every day that the power of their ancient citadel chose a soul to be known as a son or daughter of their power, but then again, even the Founders knew that Harry Potter was no ordinary boy.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered, keeping a tighter hold on the sword's hilt as he looked to the Founders, "Did…did you just say that…that I was your…son?"

"Not so much our son," Helga explained, her voice calm as she heard the nervousness in the child's voice, "The son of our citadel: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You see Harry, for reasons that we shall not talk about until after you have managed to adjust to our gifts, your fate is now tied to ours, bringing us, as Godric explained, out of our slumber and back into the world of the truly alive."

"I'm sorry my Lady," Minerva asked, Harry then noticing Severus rising from where he'd been knocked over; as the man moved back towards the assembly, Harry shrank back in intimidation, Rowena stepping between Severus and Harry as Minerva continued, "But how is it that you mean your slumber? The deaths of the Four Founders are well recorded and known throughout historical records."

"This is true Minerva McGonagall," Salazar Slytherin agreed, surprising Minerva slightly as all the records had said that he despised anything or anyone to do with the man opposite him. "But while our physical manifestations were destroyed by our deaths, our spectral, magical selves have always existed within these hallowed halls."

"And," Rowena added, her voice as sharp as the cry of the animal her House was represented by, her eyes on Severus as she spoke, "With _certain exceptions_, we have been proud to watch our legacy continue in the staff and students of this school, but what your records don't say is that, at certain points in history, our spectral selves drew magic from our school and became flesh and blood once more. This either happened in times of great duress or when a prodigy of ours was within the walls and his or her fate changed to the point that we had to intervene. Before today, we have had to do this a total of five times since our official deaths, but now, with this truly worse-case scenario coming to light, we have had no other alternative but to return from our slumber and aid our new ward."

Godric, seeing the look in his wife's eyes as she stared down the Potions Master of Hogwarts, actually chuckled as he explained, "If I were you Severus Snape, I would back away: Rowena is not represented by the eagle for nothing: in times gone by, even _I_ was afraid of her."

Severus, seeing the glare in the eyes of the female Founder, actually listened to Godric's advice as he stepped back, falling into line with Poppy and Minerva, the latter giving him a glare that told him that if he tried anything like that again, then even Poppy's best assistances wouldn't be enough to help him.

Hermione, who had been in shock enough through the declaration that Harry was to become the ward of four of the most powerful witches and wizards in history, finally plucked up the courage to speak as she asked, "Beg your pardon Miss Ravenclaw, but you were saying about helping Harry regain some of his memories?"

"Ah yes," Rowena sighed, moving now back to Harry's side as she indicated the crown she had put in front of him, "Well Miss Granger, first may I ask that you, as a good friend of young Harry, please call me Rowena as I am glad to see that the ties of friendship have not been lost on him."

Hermione blushed at the praise from the female founder of wisdom before the woman continued, "Second, I did say that we could restore a _select_ number of memories or points in the lifetime of young Harry and this is why. My diadem, which legends have said has been lost for centuries, is in fact a source of powerful mental-based magic: with Harry's permission, I can infuse that magic with him and give him a gift of mental magical capabilities. What this would do is heighten his knowledge boundaries and provide him with knowledge of the skills known as Occlumency and Legilimency, something that one of us seems perfectly all right with abusing the power."

Again, she glared at Severus, who was actually lowering his eyes from all four of the Founders' glares on him: he knew that he had let his arrogance and hatred for the spawn of James Potter get in the way of his duty.

He'd been a fool and now, with help from the Founders, Severus saw the truth.

Harry Potter certainly_ wasn't _pretending: he well and truly had forgotten everything.

Though no-one would learn of it until much later, Severus swore a silent oath that day: to try and turn his attitude to the young student around and start to see him for who he was; not James' son, not Lily's son, but as Harry Potter, the boy himself.

"How would it affect him?" asked Hermione, looking to Harry as she actually saw he was considering this, "Would he be forced into anything that may hurt him?"

"No," Rowena replied, "We are not Dark Wizards, Miss Granger, not even Salazar despite what your legends claim: my gift would, to put it simply, clear Harry's mind and allow him to _feel_ certain points in his now broken past; because of his youth and magical level, this gift can only be used once and the memories can only be restored to a certain degree. Because of this restriction, the most I can restore is three points in his lifetime, but as I said before, Harry must _choose_ those points and choose them wisely."

"Well…" Harry spoke up, clearing his throat as he answered Rowena almost immediately, "I…I know one of these…points I would like…please."

"Of course little lion," Godric smiled, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, the softness of the Founder's touch actually making Harry compare him to a caring Father.

If Godric noticed this, he didn't say anything: instead, he smiled fondly as he told Harry, "Don't be afraid: we shall not leave your side throughout the process and I highly doubt that Miss Granger shall leave you either."

"N-no sir," Hermione agreed, placing her hand around the hand of her best friend that held the infamous sword of the Founder, "I'll be here all the way Harry: I'll never leave your side no matter what happens from here."

"Th-thank you…Hermione," Harry smiled, looking now to Rowena as he asked, "Then, as my first point, can we restore my memories of…my parents?"

"A wise choice," Helga sighed, her own eyes holding back tears as she knew that it should have been obvious how this unfortunate child would have chosen his parents.

Looking to Rowena, she nodded as she asked, "Perhaps we should do this one at a time?"

"I agree," Salazar commented, his own eyes on Godric as he explained, "Such powerful magic on its own is unpredictable, but the points in young Harry's lifetime need to be repaired with care and precision."

"Very well," Godric nodded, placing his hand on Rowena's as he added, "Whenever you're ready my love."

Lifting her diadem, Rowena nodded to Harry as she explained, "If you will just lean forwards Harry, then I can give you my diadem and begin the ritual to start our delicate process: don't worry, because throughout your steps, there will be one of us there at all times."

"Three points; three Founders," Godric agreed, looking now to his fellow comrades in arms and his wife as he asked, "Which one shall be the one to stay and keep young Harry in a calm state in case something…something goes wrong?"

He'd hesitated as he'd finished his question, his green eyes on Harry as he said the words.

There was no doubt that Harry had courage, or else he would have spoken out and tried to back out of what was going to happen: of all the prodigies that they had encountered throughout the ages, he was no doubt the most delicate of their charges and the one that required their help the most.

"I shall stay," Salazar explained, his dark eyes on Harry as he looked into the boy's eyes and saw only a younger version of himself staring back at him. "I do not wish to try and sway young Harry's choices, so I will stay and keep his body and magic in a state of calmness; besides…"

Here, he looked to the three members of the Hogwarts staff, "Someone needs to be here to make sure nothing goes wrong to distract you three from your tasks."

"Then it's decided," Rowena nodded, Harry leaning his head forwards as he allowed her to slide her diadem over his forehead, the sapphire crystal of the eagle on the diadem parting Harry's fringe as Rowena spoke up. "I shall take the first point followed by Godric and finally Helga: no matter who is within young Harry's conscience with him, all three of us shall remain united: Harry, are you ready?"

"Yes," Harry replied, his heart actually racing as he thought about how he was about to get back the most precious of his memories.

Peering into Harry's eyes, Rowena whispered two spells that, as she said them, sounded like the song of a magical spirit as their magic was fuelled through the diadem, "_Legilimens! Memaria Restratus!_"

The sapphire on the diadem shone with bright light that enveloped Harry, the eyes of Rowena Ravenclaw shining with the same light as she poured her power into her diadem and, in turn, into her charge;

Unseen by all except Harry and Rowena, the two were then pulled away from the physical realm, their mental/spectral selves being pulled back into Harry's mind…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

This time, Rowena and Harry found themselves not on a wild, stormy plane, but a seemingly dark room with a single chandelier shining down on a golden mirror frame with a clawed base, the top of the mirror bearing bolts of lightning similar to Harry's lightning bolt scar.

Keeping her hand on Harry's shoulder, Rowena smiled as she explained, "When you choose the three points in your past to remember, your subconscious will create the mindscape that it feels closest to that memory. In this case, at some point in your past, you saw your parents in a reflection of yourself; now…"

Here, she lifted her hand and Harry gasped as the light from the chandelier increased, revealing what looked to be shards of the mirror all around their feet, random images flashing through each shard.

Keeping her eyes on Harry, Rowena explained, "You must allow your mind to reach out to these shards and then, with enough love and focus, your mental magic will restore the mirror and your parents' memories. Remember Harry, I will be here all the way, so take your time and don't rush your progress; as you remember more of this specific point, I also say that you shouldn't be ashamed to show emotions. Now that you know the dark truth about them, you should know about their love and always hold onto it, understand?"

"Yes Rowena," Harry replied, stepping forwards and running his hand along the subconscious of the mirror frame: indeed, something _was_ familiar about it, but Harry's mind was currently as shattered as the shards around his feet; whatever that memory, he could always ask Hermione when they were done.

Stepping back, Harry closed his eyes and, placing a hand against his heart for emphasis, poured all his will into the room around them, unaware of Rowena muttering the second spell that she had used when placing the diadem on Harry's head over and over again.

She didn't mean to deceive him into thinking it was his raw emotion that did this, but with this assistance, Harry would never forget the strength of his own mind.

Indeed, as the mindscape started to glow and Harry felt his heart growing warm as he thought about the things he couldn't remember; the feel of a mother's lips against his skin as a baby, the warm comfort of a Father's embrace, the laughter of a family and the feeling of being safe with those who loved him.

A low tinkling sound, like the sound of crystal chimes being struck or a chandelier blowing in a light breeze, started to rise around Harry's feet, the mirror now glowing with white light as the shards slowly started to lift from the floor and, slowly but surely, they began to move into place in the mirror frame.

With each piece, Harry began to feel strength and emotion burn inside him, voices now echoing around them as he repaired this specific point in his past;

_Memories Start_

"_He has your eyes Lily…"_

"_So young and so beautiful…"_

"_He's going to be a real lady-killer…"_

"_Just like Daddy…"_

"_JAMES: HE'S FLYING!"_

"_Lily…come and see his magic…he's so special."_

"_Harry…"_

"_Come to Mummy Harry…"_

"_Harry, be safe, be strong and know that you are loved."_

"_Ma'my…"_

"_Da…daddy…"_

"_Unca Pa'foo…Unca Wolfy…"_

"_Mummy…bad dweam…"_

"_LILY: IT'S HIM; TAKE HARRY AND RUN!_"

_Memories End_

Here, after what seemed like hours, Harry opened his eyes, tears staining his cheeks as he looked upon the mirror; it was almost completely whole once again, save for a very _big_ chunk missing from the centre; even as he looked at the mirror, Harry tried not to think about it; he didn't want to remember that.

"Harry," Rowena whispered, seeing the room tremble around them; no doubt what Harry was hearing here was something bad: if he didn't complete the mirror, then he'd lose this memory point forever.

Placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, Rowena's voice became as maternal to Harry as her husband's had been paternal as she told him, "Harry, I know it hurts, but you have to remember that…you have to; I'm sorry," she added as she felt the boy shaking as she whispered, "It hurts: it will always hurt, but its memories like this that give us strength; they love you Harry; now it's time to see and know why."

"Don't…don't leave me," Harry pleaded, Rowena shaking her head as she held him tight, her magic pouring into him as she understood now why he was always so protective of those around him.

"I won't," Rowena promised, watching as the final piece rose from the floor; it was apparently the largest piece and, as Rowena looked into the shard, she saw that it was swathed in darkness, a mysterious, unexplainable mist dwelling within the shard as it neared the mirror, the slam of the shard being fixed into place sounding like a death knell before the cracks in the mirror started to heal, the sounds of the cracks sealing sounding like the same chiming sound of chandeliers blowing in a breeze.

Once the mirror was complete, Harry turned his head away from the mirror, just as the mirror showed Harry the fated night, but the young boy pleaded to the knowledgeable Founder, "Let's leave: please…"

"All right," Rowena nodded, kneeling down as the mindscape turned away the memory of that fated night.

Peering into Harry's eyes, Rowena continued, "We promised you that we wouldn't force you to do anything that you didn't want to, but I want you to promise me that, when you're ready, we can face that dark memory together; only by confronting it can you overcome the fear that stems from that memory; promise me?"

"I…I promise," Harry sniffed, Rowena brushing a tear from his cheek with her finger before she kissed him lightly on the forehead, her touch calming him as the mindscape flew all around them, their mental and spectral selves returning to their physical bodies.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When Harry opened his eyes, Hermione noticed that the edges of his eyes were red with tears, his hands trembling with fear and anxiety as he looked to Rowena and then to his teachers as he whispered, "They…they loved me: Lily Evans-Potter and James Potter; my Mum and Dad."

"You did it," Godric smiled, placing a kiss on his wife's cheek as, with a sigh, he moved his hands into Harry's as he added, "I guess it's my turn Harry: what's the next point you want to remember?"

"My friends," Harry answered, looking to Hermione with a look of longing that was only outdone by the gratefulness he felt for her staying at his side, "Hermione and my friends here at school: I want to remember them."

"Unfortunately," Rowena explained, cutting off Harry's feeling of happiness as she looked to him, "We can't give you everything about your friends without trying to restore everything about Hogwarts; so, as a compromise Harry, we will let you remember your friendship with Hermione here: is that all right?"

"If that's what has to be done," Harry agreed, "Then yes, but…Godric?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Can…can Hermione come with us this time?" asked Harry, his hand now holding onto his friend, "I…I don't want to make the wrong decisions about anything I may see."

Hermione seemed surprised, but not as much as her professors as she looked to the Founders for their permission.

"Again," Godric laughed, "A very wise decision and, given the level of power between my wife and me, we can work such a feat: Miss…Hermione, would you take Harry's hand and, no matter what, don't let go."

"Yes sir," Hermione replied, watching as Godric and Rowena linked their hands, both of them laying their other hands on Harry and Hermione before, with a glance to McGonagall, Hermione smiled as she added, "This should be interesting."

Minerva just nodded as Harry heard the same spells from Godric that Rowena had spoken and this time, a red and blue aura enveloped both students, taking them into a whole new realm of subconscious…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

This time, Harry and Hermione were attracted to a long, seemingly never-ending passageway that, as she felt the vibrations beneath her, Hermione smiled as she explained, "The Hogwarts Express: this is actually where we first met Harry."

"Where's the break?" asked Harry, Godric and Rowena then appearing from the other end, the Founder of Gryffindor smiling as he saw the two students standing side-by-side.

Looking around the train, Harry asked, "What…what needs to be repaired here sir?"

"The carriages," Godric explained, trying one of the doors; it didn't budge, "You need to confront each of the memory points about Hermione one by one and it starts with that one next to you: remember, just put your emotions into the magic and keep Hermione fresh in your mind."

"Yes sir," Harry replied, turning to the first compartment, his eyes narrowed as he kept the image of his friend, a friend he'd supposedly known since the beginning, fresh in his mind.

As the magic from his memories, coupled with the softly whispered spell from the two Founders, flowed through the train, Harry smiled with victory as the door to the compartment slid open, an image before him making him smile.

He saw him, sitting next to what appeared to be the Ron boy, a small part of Harry wondering just why he'd accepted someone who could talk about something so dark so easily as a friend.

Then, as the ghosts of the past started to show themselves, a younger Hermione moved into the image, "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."

"No," Ron answered, Harry smiling as he saw how he was actually keeping his own opinions to himself; then he heard Hermione's voice again.

"Oh? Are you doing magic? Let's see then…"

The image appeared to flicker like a bad radio signal, but Harry managed to keep Hermione fresh in his mind as he heard her ask, "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well; it's not very good, but then again, I've already learned all my spells and they worked good enough for me…for example: _Occulus Reparo;_ that's better isn't it?"

The spell she'd cast had repaired past-Harry's glasses – 'Why was he wearing glasses?' – and, when Hermione recognised him and introduced herself, Harry felt a sense of friendship returning to him, but it was soon lost as he saw the Ron boy complain about Hermione…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

They moved down the compartments, Harry seeing most of his time and friendship with Hermione: he saw the incident she had spoken of where he'd risked his health to save her; he saw her talking about getting killed…or worse expelled – and both of them laughed at that – before Harry also saw them working together to study up on someone called Nicolas Flamel.

He saw her helping him get through a series of trials that looked _too_ easy for an adult to pass by; then he saw a scene that, as of that day, would change his life forever…

_Flashback Start_

_"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."_

_"But so will we, won't we?"_

_"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."_

_"But how do we know which to drink?"_

_"Give me a minute." Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands._

_"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone."_

_Harry looked at the tiny bottle._

_"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."_

_They looked at each other._

_"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line._

_"You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying- key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."_

_"But Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"_

_"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar._

_"I might get lucky again."_

_Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him._

_"Hermione!"_

_"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."_

_"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him._

_"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"_

_"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"_

_"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered._

_"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously._

_"No - but it's like ice."_

_"Quick, go, before it wears off."_

_"Good luck - take care."_

_"GO!"_

_Flashback End_

When the image faded away, Harry looked at Hermione, who blushed while, behind them, Godric and Rowena smiled as they saw the friendship and bond between the two lions returning.

"What…what were you going to say?" asked Harry, Hermione blushing as she muttered something about telling him later.

deciding it would be better to let her tell him when they were physical again, Harry continued through the carriages, seeing images such as their reunion in Diagon Alley where Hermione once again had to cast the spell to repair his glasses – 'Seriously, why was he wearing glasses?' – before he saw them working together again at school.

Then, just before the end, Harry's heart actually stopped dead as he found a carriage that showed an image of Professor McGonagall leading him and Ron – 'They were _still_ friends? Why?' – towards the Hospital Wing where a familiar figure was lying in a bed, still as a corpse…

"Hermione."

Harry's world went white…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"What happened?"

They were back in the physical realm, but Harry was by no means at peace: seeing a memory of Hermione like that; he wanted to know more and, looking to Hermione, Harry saw something familiar in her eyes: it was the same thing that had been in that mysterious corridor, but at least now there was no doubt in his mind that he was a wizard and she a witch.

As his memories swam in his forehead, Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione startling both her and the staff watching them, his voice soft as he whispered in her ear, "Hello Hermione: I've missed you."

"Harry?" asked Hermione, startled that he was returning a hug, but also so surprised that he was so warm and inviting; clearly, something more than their friendship had been brought back by the memories they'd encountered.

She knew he'd have questions and Hermione was ready to answer them no matter what he asked, she wouldn't leave him in the dark again.

"Before we go onto the final point," Rowena suggested, "I think it would be a good idea for us all to get some rest and have some lunch: is that okay Harry?"

"Yes Rowena," Harry replied, the growl coming from his stomach agreeing with him as he added, "Thank you for giving me my best friend again: how long before the third point?"

"We'll give it an hour," Rowena explained, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder as she explained, "But we'll do the best we can with what we've got: now, Hermione will stay with you so you can be among those who respect you, okay?"

"Okay," Harry nodded, watching as the four Founders left with the Professors and Madam Pomfrey, Harry still wary of Professor Snape as he watched the man leaving. Once they were out of earshot, Harry looked back to Hermione before he asked, "How…how long were you out like that?"

"Ten days," Hermione replied, "But Madam Pomfrey healed me before you woke up: she told me it was better that I let you rest, but Harry, I need to know: what happened down in the Chamber?"

"The…where?" asked Harry, Hermione smiling calmly as she realised that clearly not all of Harry was back, but, if she was being honest with herself, Hermione was actually liking the new Harry that was confident enough to hug her and speak about his emotions.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

While the two students had a light meal, Minerva, Severus and Poppy were meeting with the Founders, Godric looking angry as he closed the door and, with his back to Severus, he asked, "Now, before we tell Harry anything further, I want to know: who is the stupid fool who thought it good to place blocks on that child's magical core?"

"Blocks?" asked Minerva in shock, "Whatever do you mean Lord Gryffindor?"

"I am talking," Godric explained, turning to Minerva as he showed the lion that he represented: Minerva then understood why a head of Gryffindor always kept an eye on their cubs: it was like a spiritual legacy inherited from Godric himself.

While Minerva had her moment of epiphany, Godric continued, "About the blocks on his emotions, mental focus and magical prowess: when he saw his last memory of Hermione, both Rowena and I felt power like we haven't seen since we really _were_ alive flowing through him. If it wasn't for us managing to contain it within his heart, which will give Harry new strength and determination from today, then he could have been seriously injured and maybe lost his mind."

"What are you saying?" asked Poppy.

Godric, rubbing the bridge of his nose, thankful that he had left his sword with Harry, looked to Poppy, then Severus and finally Minerva before he explained, "Let me put it this way: at that moment, those two are happy that they have their friendship back, but there is more to it: Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger are more than that to each other and, if it hadn't been for this bond, they would have known that."

"Known what?" asked Severus, watching out the window of Poppy's office where Harry and Hermione were talking and laughing about the things that they were remembering together, though he was driven back, as was everyone else, with Rowena's next words:

"That those two are truly more than friends: _they're_ _soul-mates!_"

Silence filled the office of Madam Pomfrey as the staff tried to take in what they'd just been told, Godric and Rowena both looking to the bed where Harry and Hermione were clearly trying to catch up on what they had lost while Helga was in shock and Salazar was just leaning against the wall of the office, his eyes never leaving his mentor representative.

As if the events of this day weren't big enough for either the staff or the Founders, for them to find a blocked bond and a bound magical core within their charge was like pouring fuel on the fire.

Finally, it was Minerva who spoke, "Of course…that explains it."

"Explains…what?" asked Godric, his green eyes still on the view of his young ward.

Before she answered, Minerva shuddered as she realised just how much Godric's eyes actually reminded her of the young Mr Potter's; in fact, in some strange way, he had either looks or traits of all of them.

Godric's eyes, Rowena's attention to detail, Helga's kindness and, in a strange way, the thirst to prove himself as one of the pack…definitely like Salazar.

Keeping herself calm, Minerva explained, "Ever since they became friends back in their first year, both Harry and Miss Granger have found strength from one another and only ever truly supported one another's choices and decisions. Unlike another member of the pride whom shall remain nameless, Harry and Hermione are very rarely, if ever arguing about what's right and, through thick and thin, they have faced the greatest challenges together."

"And the reason," continued Poppy, seeing where her colleague was going with this, "Is that their bond must have been trying to reach out to one another, keeping them friends and keeping them close."

"Exactly," Minerva nodded, Salazar looking amused while Rowena just smiled as she wondered whether Minerva may have actually spiritually inherited traits not only of her natural house of Gryffindor, but from the Eagle Queen as well.

"But," Godric continued, now turning away from the window, "For someone to block that potential _and_ limit Harry's magic…well, if he'd survived the encounter that led him to this point, he would not have lived past his eighteenth birthday…why didn't you notice this?" he then asked, his voice and the fury therein directed at Minerva and Poppy.

"Could you…explain what you mean by that not lived remark Lord Gryffindor?" asked Severus, speaking for the first time since hearing that Potter and Granger were _apparently_ soul-bonded.

"A normal person's magical core," Rowena explained, Godric actually too enraged to speak without feeling the need to summon his sword to his side, "Goes through a maturity when they turn either sixteen or seventeen; this is common knowledge," she added, seeing the staff of Hogwarts open their mouths to argue the point.

While everyone fell silent, Rowena went on, "However, in certain cases, the magical core of a person would grow and mature not at seventeen or sixteen, but indeed, from the day they cast their first spell as toddlers. These types of witches and wizards are known as Potentials and, throughout their lives, the Potentials show certain strengths around one particular topic or one certain magical skill, yet their magic continues to grow."

A few looks were shared between the colleagues and the Founders as they tried to grasp what they were being told, though none of them seemed insistent or in a hurry to argue the point.

"If," Rowena continued, now looking to each of the staff members in turn, "At _any_ point in time, their magic is blocked, then this results in a magical storm the likes of which should _never_ be witnessed and, over their life, their magic starts to draw its strength from another source. In Harry's case, it seems that his magic, in trying to reach the full Potentials stage that it should have been all the way through his lifetime, is feeding its energy directly from his vitality, his life force and it's cutting off his focus, concentration, memory skills – which is ironic given the current situation – and, above all, it is sealing his soul within itself, thus making it impossible for Harry to find, locate and know his soul-bonded as anything other than a _really good friend._"

"Oh my stars," Minerva gasped, shuddering as she asked, "Can…can you undo what has been done Lady Ravenclaw?"

"Thankfully," Godric replied, daring to speak, though the lion-like growl in his voice was not lost on the adults present, "We can and we have: you see, these Potentials all have one thing in common: us; they are our heirs and heiresses of the magic and fortunes of the Founders and, as we have said before, this has only happened six times now with Harry. We have managed to slowly release his magic by bonding our magical spirits with his, thus making him the Son of Hogwarts, but it's not enough. The rest of Harry's magical regeneration will take time, training and strength of mind, body and soul that will only come from one place."

"Miss Granger," Severus muttered, Salazar's eyes narrowing as he heard the distaste from his House Head; perhaps it was time he had words with Professor Severus Snape.

"Yes," Rowena replied, seemingly sharing Salazar's distaste for how Severus was reacting to the news of their recovery process, "And, for now, it seems that their friendship is the spark that shall light the fuse to Harry's recovery, but it will take time."

"What can we do?" asked Poppy, looking now to where her two medical charges were apparently waiting for them to return.

"What we can and what we must," Godric explained, his moniker as the bearer of courage and strength coming through as he added, "But, be warned now, teachers of our citadel, should I meet the one responsible for trying to send my little cub to his early death, then I will tear all of Hogwarts apart a thousand times over to take my revenge on him."

"And believe me," Salazar continued, shuddering slightly as he recalled their many arguments from over the years, "He will do that and more."

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"…and after you returned from stopping Quirrell from getting the Stone, we were waiting for you and I was actually glad that you were okay."

Harry, like a child hearing a bedtime story, gasped in awe before he lowered his eyes and tried not to let Hermione see his smile: while they had eaten the lunch summoned by Rowena and the adults had been talking, Hermione had been telling him the full story of their time at Hogwarts and, as it stood, she was only at the end of the first year.

Yet, despite Hermione's rather detailed story-telling skills, Harry was still in the dark about these particular memories: all he could recall from them was Hermione's involvement and, several times, the young Granger had mentioned the Ron boy, but Harry had kept his peace.

Now, however, he could ask it, "Hermione, could you answer me one little thing?"

"Oh," Hermione replied, actually surprised at how Harry sounded so calm about all this: if she'd been told the story, then she'd be freaking out or even scared of coming back, but…then again, this _was_ Harry. "Sure: what do you want to know?"

"That boy from earlier," Harry explained, "R-Ron, I think you said his name was; how and why did I become friends with someone like him? I mean, from how you say it, most of the trouble I got into was at his insistence."

"How so?" asked Hermione, though she silently agreed with that statement.

"Well," Harry explained, "I…barely remember Ron making some sort of comment about you on the train; it was him who upset you and forced you to meet with the troll; according to your story, he was also the one who made the challenge for a duel that never happened and forced us to meet with the dog. When you tried to make up for not speaking to us after the dog incident, he was so sarcastic towards you that I can't wonder why you didn't just thump him."

"You've got a point there," laughed Hermione, a part of her liking how Harry was starting to feel the memories coming back: they obviously wouldn't come back fully – thank you Lockhart for _that_ – but what he could feel and the gifts from the Founders made up for it.

Clearing her throat, she continued, "Well, when we first met on the Express, he was already in the compartment with you and he had no manners whatsoever; also, you didn't see it, but the so-called _spell_ he tried to cast was just a silly rhyme that obviously came from his prankster brothers. I don't know _exactly_ when you chose to be friends with him, but I only really forgave him for his words because of what happened with the troll."

"That's the other thing," Harry told her, laughing slightly as he explained, "Though my memory of the troll is being held upside down while dodging a club, your description of the spell that was strong enough to lift a club when he couldn't even lift a feather: anyone else seeing a pattern here?"

"I think I'm starting to understand," Hermione agreed, looking into Harry's eyes as he was explaining each point in turn, "Also, now that you mention it, I can't help but wonder if the dragon incident was also a set-up."

"Dragon incident?" asked Harry.

"I mentioned it in the first-year walkthrough," Hermione explained, "Hagrid, a friend of ours and a nice man…for a half-giant, had purchased a dragon egg and hatched it into what Ronald recognised as a Norwegian Ridgeback; however, here's the thing: how would he recognise a Ridgeback when he can't even remember most of what he reads about _and_ has me look over all his homework, including what we did in the last year?"

The alarm bells were ringing even louder than ever in Harry's mind, but he held onto his reactions as he listened to his best friend, "And then there's the coincidental fact that he _happens_ to have a brother who works in a dragon reserve: I mean why did he wait until it was not only dangerous, but too late to do anything other than send a dragon away and get you sent into the Forest before mentioning that little reminder?"

"Sounds like he just wanted us to get into trouble," Harry reasoned, shuddering slightly as the slight memory of their time in the forest came to them, "And, now that you mention it: it also sounded like a set-up, just like you said."

"You were the one to mention it later," Hermione tried to remind him, knowing it wouldn't work: it wasn't the day-to-day encounters with her that Harry had remembered, it was just the parts about their friendship at its strongest.

Still, Hermione was his friend, his _true_ friend and she would do what she could to help him adjust back into Hogwarts life, so, for now, she explained to him, "The one thing Hagrid wanted in all the world was a dragon and a strange just happened to come along and give him one: as you put it: how many people do you know that come along with dragon eggs in their pockets?"

Harry laughed, a small note of familiarity coming to him in those words: that sounded like something he'd say; at that moment, the two students heard the door to Madam Pomfrey's office opening and, as Harry helped Hermione clear away the remains of their meal, he whispered, "I may not remember everything Hermione, but I will _never_ forget how nice you've always been to me: thank you."

Then he hugged her…just as Madam Pomfrey returned with Godric, Rowena, Helga and Minerva in tow; seeing the two friends reunited in such a manner brought a smile to the Head of Gryffindor's face as well as the lord of said house.

Clearing her throat, Rowena asked, "Now Harry…while we've been apart, have you thought on the third point?"

"I…I have a few ideas," Harry replied, then narrowing his eyes as he asked, "Where are Lord Slytherin and Professor Snape?"

"Having a little chat," Godric chuckled, a part of him not feeling sorry for Severus Snape one little bit…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

_Minutes before…_

"Well we should keep an eye on those two," Rowena offered, "And with Harry as the charge of Hogwarts and our key responsibility, I think we can do that."

"I also think," Minerva continued, "That it may be a good idea for Harry to spend the summer with Miss Granger and her family: if I know that brown-haired bright girl of Gryffindor, she'll help him get a grasp on his magic in no time and, at the same time, we can keep an eye on things here without having to worry too much about where he is."

"I agree with that," Godric explained, "But before we let him loose, I think it fair that we give him back the last point of his memory strands _and_ also award him with our magical gifts: if what you say about Miss Granger is true Minerva, then Harry will return to us a changed young man."

"Then it's decided," Salazar added, watching as the staff passed him; when Severus went to leave, Salazar held out his hand and, looking into the dark eyes of the man before him, whispered, "Don't you follow them Severus Snape: I want a quiet word with you."

"Uh oh," Godric laughed, leaving the room followed by Rowena, leaving the two Slytherin adults standing in the office; closing the door, Salazar waited before he spoke.

"I never thought I would find myself sticking up for Godric's beliefs," he explained to the Head of his House, "But after what happened with young Harry, I find no other alternative than to ask you what possessed you to try and mentally damage that boy even further? When I see the Heads of my House, I expect to see grace, equality and a sense of purpose, not mean, meandering bullies who think that they can get away with murder: what in the name of Merlin possessed you to do it Severus?"

"You…you wouldn't understand," Severus replied, a sharp hiss from the Slytherin Lord making him look up; it was like Salazar Slytherin was well and truly back from the dead; even the temperature seemed to drop.

"Don't think that for one second I would fail to understand the workings of my own House," Salazar exclaimed, his voice sharp and a small note below full-bellied bellowing, "I have always been within those walls Severus, my essence kept by my many splendorous portraits and the magic that empowers Slytherin House. Now, from what I see of this, I am going to take a shot in the dark and suggest that it has something to do with young Harry's late Father, James Potter."

"Yes," Severus replied, his jaws tighter than ever as he tried not to show any sense of rage towards the Slytherin Lord.

After all, Salazar Slytherin was the first wizard to use the Cruciatus Curse, so he wouldn't need to _want to use it_ to unleash its full power.

"And…the Marauders?" asked Salazar, smirking now as he sensed Severus' restraint; the man was unaware that Salazar had changed in the times he'd come back to aid the ones with the powers of Hogwarts in them.

It was what made it so easy to stand in the same room as Godric Gryffindor without magical swords clashing or spells flying across the room.

"Yes."

"And," Slytherin added, "Let me guess: you choose to take your frustration towards James Potter out on an unsuspecting, innocent child in some notion of justice _despite_ the fact that you _swore_ you would keep an eye on him to his late Mother?"

Severus was now as white as a sheet, though Salazar was smiling as he explained, "I told you Severus: nothing escapes my attention; now, I am going to suggest something to the others and, on September First, you are going to see it done. If your task and what follows are successful and you have managed to earn back your place within Harry's circle of trusted companions, then I will grant you a reward: I will remove you from the oath you swore to Dumbledore _and_ the Dark Mark on your arm."

"I…" Severus wanted to argue, but then again, if Salazar Slytherin had the power to remove the Dark Mark, then what choice did he have? To counter the magic of the Dark Lord _and_ allow Severus to live up to his obligations of being a double-agent for both the Order and the Death Eaters took power and Salazar Slytherin had power.

Bowing his head, Severus sealed his fate, "I…will do what I can…Lord Slytherin."

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When Severus re-joined the others, Salazar taking his place at Harry's side with the other Founders, Rowena smiled before she asked, "So…what do you choose for the third and final point Harry?"

"I…I've had to think about this one," Harry explained, looking to Hermione as if he was seeking comfort from what was going on and what he was going to choose, "And I…I have chosen to remember the biggest thing to me of all."

"Then I suspect it will take all four of us to restore this memory," Salazar noted, looking into Harry's emerald eyes as he asked, "What do you wish to remember?"

"My magic," Harry explained, his request startling the Founders and the staff of Hogwarts as he explained his point, "While you were in Madam Pomfrey's office, Hermione was telling me about my first year and how I had magical potential; plus, when I saw the memory of her being petrified, she said I'd gone down into some Chamber and I think that's where this happened, so that's what I want to remember: I want to remember my magic."

"Chamber?" asked Minerva, Salazar looking equally impressed as Hermione looked to her Head of House.

"The Chamber of Secrets," she explained, Slytherin now laughing as he faced Harry.

"You found it?" he asked, the final piece of his own puzzle coming into place: if Harry had indeed found the Chamber, then he would be a Parselmouth and clearly someone with plenty of magical strength that he would be recognised as Salazar's Heir.

"I…I think I did," Harry explained, "When…when Hermione mentioned it, I felt…different…warm and I think it has something to do with my magic; so yes, I want to remember that."

"Again," Ravenclaw explained, "We cannot bring back everything as you have been performing magic all your life Harry; however, if you wish, I can compromise."

"I'm listening," Harry replied, Rowena now looking to Salazar, who nodded as if he'd read her mind.

"We," Rowena explained, "We can't exactly bring back memories of magic as it is always there inside you, even now: but what we can do is allow you to remember the events of your venture into the Chamber and the magic surrounding that: it is a magic that Salazar himself possesses and created known as Parseltongue, the language of the snakes."

"I…I spoke another language?" asked Harry, looking to Salazar, who nodded solemnly, before he indicated the pendant that he had offered to Harry.

"My pendant," Salazar explained, "Has only ever been given to those worthy of bearing its power because it opens with the very language that we of my bloodline speak."

As he said this, Harry's mind then had a flashback of a conversation he, the weirdly insolent Ron boy and Hermione had shared:

_Flashback Start_

"_There's a reason the crest of Slytherin is a serpent: Salazar Slytherin was a Parseltongue…_" – Hermione

"_Exactly: and now everyone's going to think you're his great-great grandson or something…_" – Ron

"_But I'm not…I mean…it can't be…_" – Harry

"_He lived a thousand years ago Harry…for all we know…you could be…_" – Hermione

_End_

"I…I think I've spoken this…this language before," Harry explained, Hermione smiling as she realised that the memory, which was probably tied to her, was coming back to him, "But how can I be sure?"

"That's what we can do for you," Rowena explained, "Parseltongue is a rare magic in itself Harry, so, with the magic that we've been using to help bring back your memories, we can help you remember those times, but, once again, it is your choice."

Harry didn't need any convincing: if he had some kind of magic that could give him back the memories of his time before waking in the Hospital Wing, then he was willing to sacrifice his final memory to learn the truth, "What do I have to do?"

"First," explained Salazar, "You need to put my locket around your neck and hold onto the snake charm at the end."

Harry did so, his hands wrapping around the solid silver of Slytherin's locket, his emerald eyes flashing dangerously as he felt a strange wave of magic pass from the pendant into the palms of his hands.

Slytherin continued, "Next, you'll have to concentrate on the snake on the pendant: this is something you need to do alone; once that's done, you need to whisper the spell that Rowena's used on you to restore your memories. This time, for the sake of Harry's safety, I suggest that I be the one to escort him in; that way, should anything…serpentine attack us, I will be able to help him fend them off."

"A good idea," Godric agreed, watching Harry warily as the young ward of the school closed his eyes, his fingers trailing over the snake insignias on either side of Slytherin's locket, his eyes envisioning, willing them to bear the signs of life.

In his mind's eye, he saw them wrapping around his fingers, his voice coming out with a hiss when he spoke.

/_Memaria Restratus…_/

Hermione, Minerva and even Godric and Rowena shivered when they heard the Parseltongue spell roll off of Harry's tongue, Slytherin now taking his charge's hand as he repeated the spell, the power of the locket drawing their combined essences into the power of Harry's shattered memories.

While he was with Slytherin, Minerva tapped Hermione on the shoulder and, leaning down, whispered, "Miss Granger, might the other Founders and I have a word with you?"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The third time of Harry's memory-induced landscape came in the form of what appeared to be a pen of some sort, the ground littered with what appeared to be giant scraps of strange material all around them, a low dripping sound coming from over their heads as Harry and Salazar appeared in the realm of the subconscious.

"Chamber we wanted," Salazar remarked, looking to the strands around his feet, "Chamber we got: it seems," he explained, cutting off Harry's next question, "That what you must do Harry is create a whole new snake from the shards of snakeskin around our feet: remember, take your time and don't let yourself be distracted. Should anything try to stop us, I will fend them off until you are complete: no matter what you hear or see, you must not quit until the snake of your memory lives again, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, kneeling down to the shards of skin at his feet: the first thing he noticed about them was that they were pale white in colour and seemed to be composed of wisps of mist, each of them trying and failing to snake out to their brothers in flesh and memory-induced blood as Harry, peering into them, then added, "I can't…I can't see anything."

"Of course not," Salazar agreed, "This is the epicentre of your mental pains Harry: the source of your memory loss; if I am correct, which is fairly often, then your memory loss was actually created by a spell known simply as Obliviate, which wipes your memories of a certain time or event. The super-charged effect that this particular Obliviate spell had on you was no doubt from an unforeseen change in the plan: perhaps a block on the spell or a redirection of some sort."

"So this is why I can't remember most of my life?" asked Harry, "Because of a spell?"

"I'm afraid so," Salazar replied, "However, with the completion of this task, you will not only find out the how and why, but who was responsible for wiping your memories in the first place and, from here, we; that is the other Founders and myself, can begin to help you become what you were born to be: a great and powerful wizard."

"Remember," he added, seeing Harry snake his hand over the wispy snake-scales, his emerald eyes filled with a mix of shock, determination and rage that he couldn't explain, "Take your time and don't let anything distract you."

Remembering the spell from casting it with the locket, Harry clasped his hand to his heart, the feel of the locket in his hand as he hissed, /_Memaria Restratus; Memaria Restratus; Memaria Restratus…_/

The effect on the snake scales was as instantaneous as it had been when the other Founders were working with the delicate strands of Harry's memories: however, this time, as the strands started to repair themselves, coalescing into a slowly-completing snakeskin; Harry heard a sharp hiss from above and the sound of cries.

Remembering Salazar's instructions, Harry didn't look up; instead, he kept repeating the spell over and over, the snakeskin forming now in front of him, the body slowly rebuilding itself and the memories within were seen by Harry and him alone:

_He saw a younger form of him with grey, shadowed figures that his memories couldn't identify, standing in front of a snake tank, speaking to a boa constrictor and using magic to set it free, not knowing how he'd done it or the fact that he had spoken to a serpent…_

The cries intensified, but Harry didn't quit: he kept whispering the spell, a brush of air crossing over his head as the defences around this particular memory started to come back…

_He saw himself standing across from a blonde-haired boy that Hermione had said was named Malfoy, the two of them firing spells before Malfoy summoned a snake, Harry becoming calm and still as he'd hissed at the serpent, the language being revealed to him for the first time as Parseltongue, frightening the students and causing Severus Snape to banish the snake…_

The body was almost complete; all that remained was the head…

_He saw him with the Ron boy_ – okay, seriously, why in the name of all magic was that boy _everywhere_ with Harry? – _as well as a third figure he couldn't identify; they were standing in what looked like a bathroom and Harry, whispering Parseltongue, descended into a similar tunnel to the one they were standing in now. They saw a giant snakeskin and the third figure seemed to faint, the Ron boy making a comment about the figure having the heart of a lion…_

_Then, the third figure leapt up, grabbing the Ron boy's wand, Harry noticing how it looked like it was barely holding it together; he pointed it between Harry and Ron, his voice laced with a maniacal tone as he explained, _"The adventure ends here boys, but don't fret; the world will know our story: how I was too late to save the girl; how you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body; so…you first Mr Potter…say goodbye to your memories."

_Harry watched as the figure flailed the wand in a showman's gesture before he commanded the spell,_ "Obliviate!"

_Ron's wand glowed with the spell, but as it met the breakage in the centre, the spell power amplified itself, smashing Harry into a wall while the third figure proved what happened when flesh met solid stone…stone won…_

"Ron," growled Harry, just as the memory snake opened its jaws and, drowning him in its magical light, swallowed him whole, his physical self being thrown back into the real world…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Snapping his eyes open, Harry sat bolt upright and threw the bedcovers off himself, his eyes on Madam Pomfrey as he asked, "Would you happen to have any robes Madam Pomfrey?"

"Potter?"

"Harry?"

Hermione and Minerva moved to Harry's side upon seeing him return to the land of the conscious, his eyes filled with fire as he looked to Hermione, her own eyes wide with terror as she saw a monster behind those eyes.

"What…what did you see?" she asked him, watching as Harry gathered robes from Madam Pomfrey and, moving behind a changing screen, made the declaration;

"My memory loss…was all the fault of one Ronald Weasley!"

**A lengthy second chapter as I decided to combine the old chapters of Harry regaining his memories together; anyway, with a thought clear in his head, what will Harry do to repay the idiot's actions?**

**Also, what more are the Founders willing to do to protect their young ward?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Harry seeks revenge and recompense from Ronald while the Founders cement his connection to them through gifts of magic; also, to help protect Harry, the Founders and professors arrange new living accommodations for Harry while a certain Manipulative Old B…not very nice guy makes his return, but not for very long…**

**Please Read and Review…**

**OC SPELL:**

_**Memaria Restratus: **_**The Memory Weave Spell: Cast by powerful Healers – or the Four Founders – this spell can help restore certain aspects of a person's memory; can also be used in Parseltongue…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter**_

**Okay, so I did this chapter like this because of how it had the memories restored and a few other little surprises along the way: I hope you all enjoyed what I chose and how they worked, but if not, then…well, don't read on…**

_**AN2: **__**Harmony**_

**YES, for those who will, undoubtedly, have a problem with it, this story **_**is**_** a soul-bond pairing, but not the usual 'instantaneous bond' that most stories have; instead, it's going to happen a little later as things build up to the inevitable, but I hope you can still enjoy it.**


	3. The Founders' Return

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent082 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

Eventual Harry/Hermione

Eventual Neville/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Guest: All questions about Ron will be answered in this chapter, but the reasoning comes from what I came up with for this story;**

**Alix33: So I'm guessing you're enjoying the story, which is a good thing;**

**Daithi4377: Maybe, or maybe the famous foursome will have some ideas;**

**Fiferguy: Well the key point is a 'Grey' Harry, but more inclined to the Light than the Dark;**

**WhiteElfElder: Because of how Harry's magic was spiking with his rage, the 'monster' saw by Hermione was his rage;**

**Medusa's Basilisk: Answers to both questions are coming up in this chapter;**

**Heffronma5: That's an interesting piece of logic when you think about it, but the truth of it is more based on Ron's 'legacy' as a sixth son;**

**StormyFireDragon: Come on Storm, do you think I'd actually let him get away with it?**

**Belgrath: No, they're sticking around for a good long while yet;**

**Whitebuffalowmn: Hm, interesting opinion, but I think I'll let you decide whether or not you keep reading the story; hope so, but it's your discretion…**

_"Harry?"_

_Hermione and Minerva moved to Harry's side upon seeing him return to the land of the conscious, his eyes filled with fire as he looked to Hermione, her own eyes wide with terror as she saw a monster behind those eyes._

_"What…what did you see?" she asked him, watching as Harry gathered robes from Madam Pomfrey and, moving behind a changing screen, made the declaration;_

_"My memory loss…was all the fault of one Ronald Weasley!"_

Chapter 3: The Founders' Return

Silence filled the Hospital Wing for the second time that day as Harry, taking several deep breaths to try and tame the raging fire that was burning inside him, moved back from behind the screen, now dressed in black Hogwarts robes, before he repeated his last statement, "My memory loss was Ron Weasley's fault."

"How…how do you come up with this decision Harry?" asked Hermione, partially shocked at the rage in Harry's voice while another part of her heard only a need for justice.

"Lord Slytherin showed me the memory and helped me restore it," Harry explained, a part of him aware of Hermione's hand in his as she tried to calm him down, "We, Mr Weasley and I were with a third figure…"

"Lockhart," Minerva whispered, Harry feeling too enraged to ask about that: instead, he nodded as he continued.

"We went down into the Chamber where we found a snake-skin, no doubt shed by some giant serpent guardian that dwells down there…"

"The Basilisk," whispered Salazar, the Heads of House looking to one another in shock as Harry continued speaking.

"…and when he saw the size of the snakeskin that had been shed, Mr…Lockhart seemed to faint and Weasley stood over him, claiming he had the heart of a lion: when Lockhart proved otherwise, he grabbed Ron's wand and made some tirade about making up a lie about our time down there. He spent so much time monologing that Ron could have grabbed his wand, but no: he just stood there and let Lockhart turn a broken wand on me before he cast the Obliviate spell and…well, when it met the broken piece of the wand, the spell was amplified, causing this…_this_ to happen."

Silence followed his words as everyone present tried to match the train of thought being used by Harry; his words held some truth in a strange way: Mr Weasley clearly should have tried to do something if all Lockhart had been known for was memory charms: he could have hit him with any of the nearby stones in the Chamber or tried to rush at him.

But for that boy, a Gryffindor to boot – a home truth that made Godric feel very annoyed that someone so dense and time-wasting could become a member of his House – to just stand there and not even try to help Harry against the Obliviate spell.

Yes, now it made sense.

Add into the fact that Harry hadn't studied on protection spells while Weasley was the sixth of his line to go to Hogwarts with two who had graduated and a Prefect for a brother: surely he could have asked one of them to teach him about those specific types of spell, right?

The whole thing was just too stupid that it made so much sense at the same time.

"What…what are you going to do Harry?" asked Hermione, Harry looking to her with a soft smile as he saw that she was worried for him and his reaction to this bad news.

"The first thing I'm going to do," Harry explained, looking now to Madam Pomfrey, "Is return to Gryffindor Tower and pick up my things: if I'm now going to be protected and trained by the Founders, then it would make a small bit of sense that I move to a new dormitory."

"I know one," Godric offered, looking to Minerva as he explained, "The Lion's Wing should be all right for Harry: it's close to the Tower so he can see his friends and it allows us to train in private because Harry will be the only one who knows the password."

"The Wing hasn't been accessed since before Headmaster Dippet's time," Minerva noted, liking the idea herself as she added, "Though it may be an idea for Harry to take another Sorting: without his memories and with things being as they stand, I doubt that…"

"Minerva," Godric told her, his voice still laced with a small tone of anger after what they'd learned in Poppy's office, "Harry, after today, will be known as an Heir of Hogwarts and the ward of the four Founders: it doesn't matter what House his path lies with as he can only be represented by one, but his training and his living status mark him as a member of all four Houses."

"What do you suggest Godric?" asked Salazar, Harry actually agreeing with the Slytherin Founder's question: what could he do as an heir of the Four and how would it affect his education?

"We agree here and now," Godric explained, his voice calm again as he saw Harry and Hermione move to place the items of the Founders to one side, though he did notice that Harry strapped his sword to his hip. "On one of the four Houses that shall be represented for Harry and, while he shall live and sleep in the Lion's Wing, he can come and go with this one House as he wishes."

"I think it should be Harry's choice," Salazar added, though Harry noted that the Slytherin Founder did share a glance with Severus, "More than anything, we don't want to coerce the boy into something he doesn't want."

Looking back to the emerald-eyed pre-teen, Salazar asked, "Harry, which of our Houses would you like to represent?"

"I…I don't really know," Harry explained, his voice now faltering as he realised what he was being offered: a choice to affect his own future, "I mean; thanks to Hermione, I know that I was a member of Gryffindor, but…now that I can think clearly, I think…I would like to go…somewhere else."

"Where Harry?" asked Hermione, Harry sharing a guilty glance with her before he sighed and looked to the staff.

"That's the thing," he told them, looking to his chosen Head, "I'd like to represent Slytherin and have Professor Snape as my Head of House."

"What?" asked Severus, "Even after what…what I did to you?"

"Hermione told me," Harry explained, "That you see me as my Father: even if you don't like me, sir, I would like to prove to you that I am not my Father and, if that means joining your House, then so be it. So," he looked now to Salazar, "I choose to represent the House of Slytherin while dwelling within this Lion's Wing that Godric speaks of."

"So it is spoken; so shall it be," Salazar declared, a bright silver flash filling the Hospital Wing before it faded, leaving Harry's black robes now bearing an emerald-green trim, the Crest of Slytherin House on his robe.

Despite this, Godric noticed that Harry did still bear his sword and, as Hermione looked to Hufflepuff's Ring and Ravenclaw's Diadem, he saw her watching them with an air of curiosity.

Deciding to answer her unspoken question, the Founder of the House explained, "Miss Hermione, you and Harry have kept Rowena and Helga's artefacts aside, but the truth of it is that they are in fact his: we, the Founders of Hogwarts, gave them to him willingly and, now that Harry has also chosen his path, we can imbue him with our gifts."

"Gifts?" asked Harry, watching as Hermione lifted the ring and diadem towards the Founders, Salazar placing his hand on the pendant around Harry's neck while Godric reached around Harry and withdrew his sword from its scabbard.

"Abilities and traits that we now award you with our artefacts," Godric explained, placing the tip of his sword against Harry's shoulder before he commanded, "Kneel."

Harry, slightly confused as to what was about to happen, did the smart thing and dropped to one knee, his head bowed while Godric kept his sword on Harry's shoulder, the young Slytherin representative now shaking slightly as he wondered if he was about to be taken out by the weapon held by the Gryffindor Founder.

"The path has been chosen," Godric declared, his sword now lifting from Harry's left shoulder and dipping onto his right, before Godric then placed it gently against Harry's forehead and heart, his voice carrying through Harry as he explained, "As Heir apparent of my House and lineage, I, Godric Gryffindor, give to you, Harry James Potter, the gifts of Occlumency and Legilimency to master as you train; through this art, your enemies shall never be able to penetrate your thoughts and you shall be held immune to all forms of persuasive magic and personality-altering effects; so it is spoken; so shall it be."

As he said the words, Harry gasped as he felt a powerful, welcoming warmth envelop his thoughts, a deep red glow leaving the tips of the points where Godric had placed his ancient sword, all four of the tips meeting at Harry's heart where the red glow became the shape of a lion and, before those present, it leapt into Harry's heart, flooding his body with strength anew.

Holding his sword before Harry, Godric continued, "As my Heir Apparent, I also bestow you the right to bear my ancient sword so that it may defend your life when your magic cannot."

Harry, palms flat before the Lord of Gryffindor, accepted the blade honourably and slid it back into its scabbard, the red glow that had leapt into his heart now enveloping the blade; in time to come, Harry would discover that only he could withdraw the blade from its scabbard unless he permitted another to do so.

Similarly, if someone tried to steal the sword, it would feel as heavy as a fully-grown bull dragon while to Harry, it would be as light as air and easily handled.

Godric stepped aside, allowing Rowena to step before the kneeled son of Hogwarts, the Founder of the Knowing placing her diadem on his head as she exclaimed, "As Heir Apparent of my House and lineage, I, Rowena Ravenclaw, give to you, Harry James Potter, the gift of the art of wandless magic and the understanding of the creatures of land, sea and sky: no tongue shall be unknown to you and no language unheeded by your ears or tongue; even the tongues of the animal kingdom shall be as if they were speaking English to you. Through the gift of wandless art, I also call upon the power of my diadem to relinquish your mind, body and soul of the seals that block your magic: so it is spoken, so shall it be!"

This time, it was the eagle on the diadem that shone with a bright sapphire-blue light, the animal seemingly coming alive as it rose into the air and seemed to transform into a living replica of pure magic, the blue eagle swooping around Harry's head several times creating a halo that settled into his scalp, the power of Ravenclaw making Harry gasp as his magic seemed to shoot out of his body like it had been shot from a cannon.

Beds were overturned, curtains were ripped from their links, windows smashed and even the doors to the Hospital Wing rattled.

Whether it was instinct or willpower, Harry didn't know, but, with a mere sweep of his hand, he repaired the windows before apologising to Madam Pomfrey, who shook her head, telling him not to worry as she, Minerva and Severus got to work on restoring the Wing.

Meanwhile, Rowena had stepped aside and now Hufflepuff stood before Harry, her ring held in her hand as she explained, "As Heir Apparent of my House and lineage, I, Helga Hufflepuff, give to you, Harry James Potter, control and knowledge of the art of the elemental forces of nature: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Storm, Ice and Forest; in due time, I also will it that your powers shall grow so the powers held by the elements of Ether – Light – and Shadow – Darkness – are known to you; through this, I also grant you the art of the shifter, giving you the ability to shift into any animal you desire. May the powers of Nature be at your command and aid you in your chosen path: so it is spoken, so shall it be!"

This time, Helga slipped the ring she carried onto Harry's right ring finger, the tiger-eye gemstones shining brightly as their magic was poured into Harry, the light from the gems rising from the ring and taking the shape of a giant badger that, like the lion and the eagle, leapt into Harry's body, Harry's heart now feeling like it held an ancient flame as the badger moved in with the lion in Harry's chest.

As this happened, the witches and wizards around Harry gasped as the very earth beneath their feet trembled and, as the magic from the ring died down, something completely different rose from the ground.

It started at Harry's feet, coating them in a dark-coloured substance that looked like the blackest of stones; when it reached his lower legs, the earth changed to living fire of white colouring, slowly training its way up Harry's legs until it reached his waistline. From there, Harry's lower body appeared to vanish into smoke, the current of the smoky air blowing around Harry's legs as if he were a living tornado, the tornado rising to his heart.

When it reached his heart, Harry actually cried out as his body became a human incarnation of a water spirit, only his head, arms and hands remained flesh; that didn't last long as the power moved down his left arm and into his hand, the water figure now hardening until it looked like Harry was made of a suit of ice-crystal armour, the power now moving down his right arm and hand. As it reached his fingers, the ice armour changed into solid wood and vines, only Harry's head being left human while the rest of him looked like…well, like a living forest.

Finally, the forest power enveloped Harry's head and, with a crack of thunder, his body changed completely, every trace of flesh, bone and even his robes being devoured by this magic, his new appearance making him look like the Human Torch, except that where flames were meant to be were instead sparks and static bolts of white lightning.

The electric-like display continued for a few moments more before Hermione, who had been stunned enough at the display of ancient magic that was shown here, gasped again as seven orbs began to spin and gyrate around Harry's body like the molecules of an atom.

Like the elements themselves, the orbs were decorated with different colours: Black, Blue, Red, White, Silver, Green and finally Gold, the golden orb indicating Harry's Storm trait while the white showed air.

As one, the seven orbs seemed to band together, forming a chain of elemental power that, like an expert snooker player's shot, all snaked into Harry's heart, each of the elemental powers now adding to Harry's magical repertoire.

When the Storm orb vanished inside him, Harry's body became flesh, blood and robe once more, the Founders smiling with pride as they saw their ward's magical essence accepting the new powers with ease.

Finally came Salazar Slytherin and, as he placed his pendant back around Harry's neck, his voice spoke in the language of Parseltongue, /_As Heir Apparent of my House and lineage, I, Salazar Slytherin, give to you, Harry James Potter, the gift and power behind Parseltongue and a natural defence against the dark powers of curses such as the Cruciatus and the Imperious. Through this defence, I also grant you the powers over Healing Magic and the magic of the serpent dominion; may their scaled bodies protect and aid you where the other magicks cannot: as Heir Apparent, I also grant you everything that lives and exists within my Chamber of Secrets and command over my magical defender and guardian of the school: Aurora; so it is spoken, so mote it be._/

With a crack similar to the sound of an egg hatching, the pendant around Harry's neck opened, revealing an emerald-green serpent that slithered out from within the pendant, rising to its full height: somewhere in his mind, Harry recognised the snake as a Basilisk, the same serpent/guardian that dwelled in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.

When the Basilisk reached its full height, it turned and bared its fangs at Harry, lunging forwards and striking him upon the edge of his collarbone, the magical fangs sinking into Harry's shoulder and flooding his body not with venom, but the magical powers of Salazar Slytherin.

However, unlike the other Founders' gifts, as the magic of Slytherin reached up to Harry's forehead, the ward of the Founders gave a pained cry and fell forwards, Helga and Rowena holding him steady as they asked in unison, "What's wrong Harry?"

"Pain," Harry groaned, his hand rubbing at his forehead, "In…in my head: it hurts…it hurts so much!"

"I thought you released the blocks?" asked Godric, watching as his wife cradled Harry's head in her embrace, the young boy sobbing as the pain intensified.

"I did," insisted Rowena, her finger trailing over Harry's scar; it actually now looked enflamed.

Glaring at Salazar, she demanded, "Tell us what you gave to him Sal: this didn't happen with the rest of us, so what did you do?"

"I honestly don't know," answered Slytherin, looking to his young ward with eyes of shock and wonder, "The gifts I bestowed upon him would protect him from the lasting effects of Dark Magic and I also allowed him to know the magic of healing as well as giving him my Chamber and Aurora; I don't know…what…"

He had good reason to trail off as Harry, with a last powerful scream that seemed to rattle the very walls of the school, had reared his head back, a powerful green flash of lightning splitting out from inside his head, the green flash darkening until it seemed to resemble a small blackened serpent.

As everyone stared, Hermione gasped as she heard Harry's voice, "No: don't let him hurt me; I won't…no, please don't…"

"Harry?" Hermione looked from the snake thing to Harry and what she saw, she didn't like: Hermione had seen Harry face down trolls, calm a ferocious dragon and a Cerberus, tackle a class of pixies and stand up to Voldemort.

Yet, when she looked at his eyes, Hermione saw one emotion that was as clear as day: Fear!

"Don't let him get me," Harry pleaded, Hermione pushing past Godric to get to her friend; as she hugged him close, Rowena, Salazar, Godric and Helga all noticed the snake thing appeared to start flailing around, cracks of golden light coming from beneath its scaled skin.

At one side, Minerva, who had returned upon hearing her student's scream of terror, saw the snake thing and, turning to Severus, she pleaded, "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is Severus?"

"Yes Minerva," Severus replied, "I'm afraid it is: it's a Horcrux."

With a final, searing hiss, the snake creature exploded and everyone in the room just stood there, watching and waiting for any sort of reaction from a clearly terrified Harry James Potter…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

At the same time that Hermione's sense of friendship was somehow weakening the snake spirit that was known to Severus Snape as a Horcrux, in an office several floors away from the Hospital Wing, a dark crystal instrument used to measure and contain the power within a specific vessel suddenly gave a loud, whistling sound like a train's emergency brakes being pulled before, with a loud crash, it exploded into a thousand pieces.

As the instrument exploded, several others followed suit: one to measure the strength of a ward, one to locate a specific person with ease, one to measure the strength of a magical block and, finally, one that helped project an aura to a specific person, giving them the instincts and feelings attuned to the creator of the instrument;

All of them exploded, showering the room, Albus Dumbledore's office, in a hailstorm of shrapnel and now non-existent magic, the strength of will from the source of the destruction enough to startle a newly-reborn phoenix into flashing away while, within an ancient-looking hat, a female voice spoke through the lips of the hat;

"Welcome home…my son…"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"What happened back there?" asked Minerva, Salazar having given both students a calming draught before they'd let Harry rest up after receiving their gifts, "What…how was a Horcrux inside Harry's head?"

"I think I may have an answer," Salazar explained, looking now to Severus, "He is the Boy-Who-Lived for a reason and that reason is simple: he survived the Avada Kedavra, no doubt through an act of powerful, protective love from his Mother, whom, if I've heard right over the years, was more than willing to die for him."

"You have heard right," Severus nodded, memories of holding a dead Lily Potter in his arms while baby Harry wept in the background coming back to him, haunting his thoughts as it had done for an entire year after the Halloween tragedy.

"Then," Salazar explained, "The explanation is simple: killing rips the soul apart, but when Lily Potter gave her life, her sacrifice unintentionally caused the split from the Dark Lord Voldemort to seek out a nearby host and, when it failed to kill Harry, the magic of the Avada Kedavra Curse created the Horcrux: however, its strength and Harry's fear of it suggest…other things."

"What other things?" asked Minerva, Godric suddenly straightening up, his own emerald eyes looking to the door of the Wing with a scowl.

"I don't know," Salazar explained, "But I intend to find out: Harry's power is now freely roaming through his body and he is now officially the Ward of the Founders of Hogwarts: rest assured Minerva, I will not let anything threaten my young serpent: in the meantime; what's eating you?"

Godric, looking from the door to his fellow Founders, gave a growl as he explained, "The wards have just been triggered; no doubt by Harry's magical outburst: and guess what?"

"What?" asked Rowena, not liking the look in her husband's eyes.

"Albus Dumbledore has returned to Hogwarts."

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"Harry?"

Looking up from his calmly focused position, Harry saw Madam Pomfrey returning with Rowena and Minerva, the three women smiling as they saw how he had recovered, Poppy also noticing that Harry's infamous lightning bolt scar now also looked very faint on his forehead, as if it were in actual fact a birthmark of some sort.

"Salazar, Godric and Helga have some business to take care of," Rowena explained; it was her who had gotten Harry's attention, "So Professor McGonagall and I are going to show you to the Lion's Wing where you can spend the rest of the day recovering from what you've seen and heard here today, okay?"

"Okay," Harry replied, then managing a yawn as he asked, "What time is it?"

Casting a quick Tempus, Minerva replied, "It's quarter to five: dinner will be at seven if you wish to join your fellow students."

"That may not be a good idea," Rowena informed her, "Though I don't have any objections to Hermione staying with Harry: do you Minerva?"

"I see no reason why not."

As he was told this, Harry couldn't quite explain why, but he'd suddenly felt a powerful and contented warmth ignite in his heart and soul at the thought of Hermione remaining ever-loyal and ever-friendly at his side…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Albus Dumbledore felt a mix of shock and confusion when he returned to Hogwarts, only to find his pathway to his office blocked by magic he couldn't quite understand: when he tried speaking the password he'd cast on the office, the gargoyle didn't reply.

Withdrawing the Elder Wand from his robe, Dumbledore pressed it against the gargoyle as he commanded, "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and I command you to allow me entrance to my office."

"Sorry Albus," a sharp, deep voice replied and Dumbledore's blood ran cold: he knew that voice; the last time he'd heard it was while he himself had been here at Hogwarts as a student.

Turning on his heel, the Headmaster saw three figures approaching, each of them in robes of splendour and strength, the middleman of the three being the one who had spoken, "But I'm afraid our school doesn't recognise you as its Head any longer."

"Very funny," Dumbledore laughed, "All right: which student has decided it's Halloween come early?"

/_Do you doubt our power Dumbledore?_/ hissed the figure on the left of the middleman, /_Perhaps this will convince you: Hogwarts, open the office._/

With a loud groan, Dumbledore heard the office stairway revealing itself, the gargoyle coming alive and bowing its head to the three figures, the one on the left being the one who had spoken in Parseltongue.

Dumbledore, knowing now that there was no doubt who these three were, changed tack as he asked, "And, if I may be so bold, what brings the souls of the Founders back to Hogwarts?"

"We are here to take back what is rightfully ours," Godric explained, stepping forwards and, passing Dumbledore, he stopped on the stairway before he turned back to Dumbledore, "You are no longer Headmaster now that our souls have been awakened here and so, as Founder of Hogwarts, I am ordering you off my premises."

"But…" Dumbledore began; he needed a reasonable enough lie to bend this rule, "How will the school manage without staff?"

"We're not getting rid of the staff," Salazar exclaimed, "Just you…old man: Godric here is going to take your seat as Headmaster and I have elected to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts: our home has already dispelled your curse on the post and has chosen a suitable replacement for Professor Binns; oh, and before you go Dumbledore, I'll be taking the Elder Wand."

"WHAT?" Demanded Dumbledore, his eyes wide with shock: not only were the Founders back in Hogwarts, but their power was stronger and they were truly flesh and blood, "You can't do that: I won this in a fair duel against Gellert…"

"And a duel is nothing compared to blood rights," Salazar laughed, "And the Elder Wand's true successor and only living heir is within these walls: when we meet with him, and we will, he will gain control of that wand _and_ the Stone and you know what that will mean."

Dumbledore did: he also knew who the true master of the Elder Wand – through blood rights, which were the most powerful form of inheritance rights in the world – and future Master of Death was meant to be:

Harry Potter…

With a resigned sigh, Dumbledore slipped his hand into his robe, the wand going with it as he explained, "I am Mr Potter's guardian and you are not entitled to anything of his without my permission."

"That boat sailed a long time ago Dumbledore," Helga insisted, looking to Godric, who was practically glowing with magic as he finished her statement with one that would change Dumbledore forever;

"Harry James Potter is the reason we came back, which means he is now under the custody of Hogwarts School herself: now, hand over the wand and leave the grounds Mr Dumbledore: you're not welcome here."

Dumbledore, with no real ace left to play after that revelation, had no choice but to surrender the wand…

Though he did not promise that they would not meet again…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The Lion's Wing was located on the seventh floor of Hogwarts, within the entrance to the North Tower, behind a statue of a knight that Hermione identified as Sir Lancelot, or so she thought.

Standing before the statue, Rowena ushered Harry forwards as she explained, "Place Godric's Sword in Lancelot's hand and he will obey your wish: make sure the password you choose is one you can remember as this will not be a place where you have Prefects and, other than myself, only Minerva and Miss Hermione will know your password."

"Yes Rowena," Harry replied, sliding Godric's sword into the knight's left hand, the hilt of the sword fitting perfectly into the hand of the knight's grip: after a moment, the knight's statue seemed to blink before he spoke.

"Greetings sire of Hogwarts," he declared in a proud voice, "I am Sir Casterwill: Knight of Hogwarts and one of the remaining defenders of the Founders ancient homes: who is it that seeks entrance?"

"I do," Harry replied, rather surprised at what he was hearing: the fact that Casterwill had said he was one of the last defenders told Harry so much.

Clearing his throat, Harry continued, "I am Harry James Potter, ward of the Founders and I request to use the Lion's Wing as my dorm and abode while within these walls."

"Your words speak truth and your claim is noted," Casterwill explained, bowing to Harry as he asked, "The Chambers of the Lion await you: have you a password that can be used for access?"

"The password will be…" Harry approached the statue: it wasn't that he didn't trust his friends; he just didn't want them to be overheard, "Marauder."

"Password accepted," Casterwill explained, his head bowing to Harry as he didn't move from his spot: instead, Harry and Hermione gasped as Casterwill lifted his hand and pointed it to the spot on the wall _behind _them; making a U-Turn, Harry saw a door decorated with Gryffindor's Crest appear from within the spot on the wall, the doorway now protected by two statues that looked like Sir Casterwill.

As if reading his lord's mind, the statue spoke his last words, "My brothers shall guard your abode my Lord: only those you wish to see the room shall know of its existence; while you are within its walls, the door to the Chambers shall be sealed unless permitted otherwise by you. Your possessions have already been moved there and I shall have one of my brothers inform you when any guests arrive: may your swords stay sharp, my young Lord."

"And yours," Harry whispered, stepping up to the Gryffindor Crest on the door; pressing his hand against the Crest, Harry saw the door open, revealing a room and chamber that could only be summed up in two words: 'Bloody hell!'

That was an understatement: it was similar to the Gryffindor Common Room, except that it also had a long table suited for study, a set of golden-decorated leather chairs situated around the table, an image of Godric's Sword engraved into the fine wooden base of the table. Other than that, Harry also noticed three stairways, all of which led upwards, as well as a pair of doors on the left and right sides of the room.

Moving to the left, Harry and Hermione gasped as they found a grand library, which was filled with, quite possibly, even more books and resources than those of the Hogwarts Library; there was even a large study area and central training field that was covered by a damage-reducing ward that made it safe to battle with more than magic.

Leaving the Library, Harry moved to the next room on the left, where he found a fully-functioning Potions Laboratory and clearly well-stocked supply of ingredients and texts on the subject; as he browsed the ingredients, Harry then noticed that the Wing stocked items that even Severus Snape would kill to possess, such as a full vial of unicorn blood and what appeared to be samples from a dragon's heart.

Harry was sure that he wouldn't fail Potions with what was here; that was for sure.

Moving over to the right-hand side of the room, Harry, Hermione and Minerva found themselves standing in a relaxing environment that was more like the Common Room than the meeting room they had found through the door; there were several large and very comfy-looking chairs and bean-bags as well as an open fireplace that was decorated like a pride of lions' heads all roaring, the flames clearly lighting from within their mouths.

Aside from the chairs and fireplace, Harry also noticed what appeared to be a private Floo channel and an ancestral clock that held the crest of Gryffindor.

That just left one room; moving through the final door, they found themselves standing in one area of a three-way chamber that, as Harry sniffed at the air, he recognised to be a fully-functioning greenhouse of some sort, the other two parts to the greenhouse evidently for plants and organisms that required a warmer or cooler climate.

Seeing the look on both Hermione and Harry's faces, Rowena smiled as she explained, "When you have a free period or some spare time, feel free to indulge yourself in some private studies down here; I'm sure that Professor Sprout would approve."

Once again, Harry was sure that would be an understatement, but he didn't say anything; instead, they left the greenhouse and made their way up towards the three stairwells, though Harry had suspicions as to their purposes.

He was proved right: the first stairwell led to a master bedroom where the signs and crests of Gryffindor seemed to decorate everything, a portrait bearing the Crest as well as the sword lying opposite a four-poster king-size bed; a large beech armoire and walk-in wardrobe ran along one wall and a door led off their bedroom into a private bathroom that was decorated from gilded metals and held the image of the lion on each tap and faucet.

The other two stairwells led to two similar chambers, albeit the third held more beds as Harry assumed that these were guest chambers used for those whom he gave permission to spend in the Chamber: now he understood the need for protection and secrecy of the chambers: they were beautiful…in fact…

"It's perfect," whispered Harry, Hermione pleased to see such a warm, comfortable smile on the face of her close friend; Harry had always needed something to really cheer him up and now he had it.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When the rest of Hogwarts learned that their new tutors and Headmaster were to be none other than the Founders of Hogwarts themselves, there were mixed reactions from all of them, but, for the first time in an age, there was actually a sense of peace in the air around the school, most notably from the Slytherins, who fell under the spell of intimidation that had been cast upon their Head of House towards the Founder of their House and their new Defence Professor.

The only ones, most of the school noted, who weren't among the students aware of the news were Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, a look of worry on the faces of some of the Gryffindors as they were under the impression that Hermione was in the dark about their new mentors and no-one had seen Harry since Ron had told them he was awake, but needed time alone.

So, after the evening meal when Headmaster Godric had dismissed them, the Gryffindors returned to the Tower and, just as one of them gave the password, a cheer spread among the Gryffindors as they found themselves looking upon Harry Potter, clearly back to one hundred percent health, but he wasn't alone: Professor McGonagall and a raven-haired woman that the more-knowledgeable Gryffindors recognised as Godric's wife Rowena were with them.

"Hello there children of my husband," Rowena remarked, her soft voice addressing each of the lions as she spoke, "I doubt I need much introduction, but for those who do not know: I am Rowena Ravenclaw, wife of Godric Gryffindor and Founder of the Eagle's Nest; with help from Professor McGonagall, I am here to tell you all something that will change Hogwarts from September."

"Yes indeed," Minerva agreed, clearing her throat as she explained, "At the request of the new Headmaster, Lord Godric Gryffindor, the Founder of this House, we all feel it appropriate to inform you that I will no longer be acting as your Head of House: instead, that duty will be passed on to Madam Ravenclaw's husband, who has assured me that he will pick a suitable candidate. I will still be your Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmistress, but the duty of Head of House now lies with the Headmaster."

"Similarly," Rowena continued, "The other Houses shall be headed by either the Founder of that House or a candidate of Headmaster Gryffindor's choosing: now, just because I founded Ravenclaw does not mean I will be the new Head: I may even be _your_ Head of House, but, the purpose of this re-structuring of the Hogwarts authority is to ensure that we do not lose sight of the goings on in our Houses."

"Now," Minerva added, "There is one last piece of business and it is this: as of September First, Mr Potter here will no longer be a member of Gryffindor House: instead, due to unforeseen circumstances, it is the agreement of the faculty and Headmaster Gryffindor that Mr Potter be resorted: in their presence, this was done and…Mr Potter, if you would be so kind?"

Standing up, Harry allowed the cloak he was wearing to fall down, revealing his Hogwarts robes…and the Slytherin Crest: the expected uproar came and Harry kept a hold on his sword as he prepared for the worst.

He never expected it to come, of all people, from Ron Weasley, who snapped, "So Potter's betraying us to be with those slimy snakes? What kind of Gryffindor does that make you?"

"Mind your attitude Weasley," Harry snarled, his magic crackling wildly as he faced Ron, "It's your fault that this happened in the first place…so, with that in mind…"

He crossed the room in three strides and, with no real sense of mercy or equality, he used the pommel of the sword to smash Ron's teeth in, his free hand grabbing Ron's broken wand as he asked, "How did it feel Weasley? Watching Lockhart try and end me like that? Did it make you feel good inside because, let me tell you, I felt like hell!"

"Potter," McGonagall snapped, "Ten points from Slytherin for unprovoked violence," she had to keep up the act, but personally, Minerva was pleased Harry hadn't taken it further.

"I'm sorry Professor," Harry replied, sheathing the sword, though the more knowledgeable students knew it by sight, "I'll go to my dorm now: if anyone's willing to follow the Founders' examples and put House rivalries behind them, then you'll find me at the door with the twin Knights."

With that, he swept out of the room, the Gryffindors noticing how Hermione followed Harry out of the Tower where, as she caught up with him at the very top of the Grand Staircase, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"What that twit wouldn't," Harry replied, snapping Ron's wand clean in two before he collected the snapped pieces and snapped them again, before dropping them down the shaft towards the ground floor of Hogwarts.

As they turned to go through the entrance to the seventh floor, Hermione stopped Harry as she explained, "You've got company."

Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw a young red-haired girl approaching him with a friendly-looking round-faced boy with dark hair and blue eyes, both of them dressed in Gryffindor robes.

Taking care of the first option, Hermione explained, "Harry: you remember Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom, don't you?"

"It's okay Hermione," Neville told her, Harry aware of an edge of unexpressed fury to his voice, "That moaning idiot can't keep his mouth shut for nothing: we know Harry lost his memories."

"Not all of them," Harry explained, before he smiled and, extending his hand, he added, "We never really had a chance to be friends Neville and it seems that my entourage has a few vacancies going: care to do what we couldn't before?"

"Harry Potter," Neville replied, taking Harry's hand and, lifting their arms, clasped it tight in a strong gesture of brotherhood, "Given our past: I'd be honoured to stand with you and your family."

Releasing the hands, Harry turned to Ginny before, with a sly smile, he asked, "Now I heard a rumour that you're part of this so-called Harry Potter Fan Club, am I right?"

"I'm sorry if it bothers you," Ginny replied, before she approached Harry, her shorter stance coming up to his shoulder, "But I now see you're nothing like I've heard: after all that you've faced and done, I'd be glad to be…well, to be a friend with you Harry."

"I welcome your friendship Ginny," Harry told her, shaking her hand before he pulled her into a hug, surprising Ginny for a moment.

However, unseen by Neville and Hermione, Harry continued, "If you ever want to talk about what's happened this year, just come and find me: but don't go about thinking we're anything more than friends, or really good brother and sister at best. My heart belongs to one whom, one day soon, I hope to find and offer everything I am to, okay Ginny?"

"Sure," she replied, meeting the emerald eyes of the boy she'd spent her youth wanting to meet, before she asked, "How did you know…"

"That you were the one to open the Chamber?" asked Harry, smiling as he whispered, "I remember what happened before your brother's wand cost me my memories: why else would he have gone to such risks going into somewhere so dark and foreboding if not to save his kid sister?"

Ginny gasped…then laughed as she saw Harry turn on his heel and make his way down the corridor towards his new dormitory, his robes billowing behind him in a powerful manner;

Professor Snape would be so jealous if he could see Harry at that moment…

**Chapter 3 and the Founders have made themselves clear, but does this mean it's all over before it's even begun?**

**Also, with new friends and allies as well as a sense of vindication, can Harry now begin to enjoy what passes for a normal life?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Harry makes new friends when they are rescued by Harry from others who hate them for being different; plus, a rather interesting twist brings a funny encounter as a certain friend/assistant of Harry's reintroduces himself to 'Harry Potter sir' and has a wish; also, Hermione tells Harry of the invite extended by her parents and there's a nice event planned for Harry over the summer…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Harry's gifts**_

**Well there we go then, now I should say that the gifts Harry received won't be the last ones that the Founders give him: a rather special gift is still to come. Also, while Harry **_**does**_** have all this potential and power, he does still have to learn how to use it, so for those who think I'm just letting him master them like **_**that,**_** you're sorely mistaken…**

_**AN2: The Lion's Wing**_

**The Lion's Wing is the same one I used for Chronicles of Camelot, but with a simple difference; it had such an impact in that story that I just had to use it again;**


	4. An All New Harry Potter

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

Eventual Harry/Hermione

Eventual Neville/Luna

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Alucard hellsing: As you know, my friend, I update when inspiration hits me and, right now, my other stories are taking more of a priority than that one, but I promise you, I will update when I can;**

**Deathday Party Planner: I appreciate your honesty and hope you can enjoy the rest of the story;**

**Man of Constant Sorrow: I don't actually know how to respond to this one except to say that if there's anything you don't like about the story, then don't read it. I get that the lines have been used time and time again, but that's Fan Fiction for you;**

**Daithi4377: They're **_**all**_** in for a few surprises, my friend;**

**Alix33: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and, for your information, an ancestral clock is an old and regal-looking grandfather clock; it doesn't really mean anything else, I just added it for effect of the chambers;**

**StormyFireDragon: Yes, Storm: I know what you mean and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming;**

**WhiteElfElder: Is he ever?**

**MyEdwardJacob: As Harry once said: 'every great witch or wizard started out like us…students.'**

**Jordan Cross: Appreciate that you're enjoying the story, though I think we could have done without the sarcasm, friend;**

_"Harry James Potter is the reason we came back, which means he is now under the custody of Hogwarts School herself: now, hand over the wand and leave the grounds Mr Dumbledore: you're not welcome here."_

_Dumbledore, with no real ace left to play after that revelation, had no choice but to surrender the wand…_

_Though he did not promise that they would not meet again…_

Chapter 4: An All New Harry Potter

On his first official morning as a member of both the Lion's Wing and Slytherin House, Harry awoke to a mysterious sensation of warmth and comfort enveloping his body, his magic actually feeling like it was singing to him as he went about a routine to get dressed and ready for the day ahead.

As he slipped his new Slytherin robe over his body, Harry stopped once and, turning on the spot, found an unusual sight greeting him: a small creature with bat-like ears that was dressed in a miniature black robe with the Hogwarts Crest on his lapel, the shoulders of the robe bearing lightning bolts similar to the one that was on Harry's forehead.

Going with his first instinct, Harry asked, "Erm…hello?"

"Good morning Harry Potter sir," the creature replied; it had a high-pitched male voice and tennis-ball green eyes that seemed to be filled with delight at seeing Harry so well. "Does Harry Potter want anything sir?"

"Sorry for the obvious question," Harry replied, a part of him aware of a sense of familiarity from this little creature, though he couldn't quite place the where or why about it. "But…who are you?"

"Dobby sir," the creature replied, "Dobby the House Elf and…Dobby is…that is to say…" Harry noticed that Dobby seemed to wring the edge of his robe in his hands as if he was worried about something.

"Why…why don't you sit down?" asked Harry, "If you have something to tell me, then there's no need to stand there."

"Sit down?" Dobby asked, looking now to Harry with those bright eyes; somehow, Harry seemed to notice that they became brighter as Dobby exclaimed, "Harry Potter always great wizard sir, but Dobby never thought Harry Potter would be the same he knew sir."

"We've…met before then?" asked Harry, Dobby nodding his head excitedly.

"Yes sir," the elf answered him, "Hogwarts took Dobby from his bad former Master and made him Harry Potter's elf sir; Dobby understands that Harry Potter can't remember everything sir, but Dobby is Harry Potter's friend and will serve Harry Potter well."

"Oh," Harry remarked, rubbing at his forehead, a small pain coming through as he listened to Dobby, "Well…thank you Dobby…but…why are you so shocked at my behaviour around you if you know I've lost some of my memories?"

"Because sir…" Dobby told him, "Dobby feels…feels a burden sir; it was Dobby who did all those things to Harry Potter to try and force him away from Hogwarts School. And now sir, not by Dobby's hand is Harry Potter different and harmed in ways worse than what Dobby tried to save him from sir."

Harry wanted to be angry when he heard that the elf had tried to endanger him beforehand; however, all he had to do was look into those eyes of Dobby's and Harry knew that he was sorry.

With a soft smile, Harry commanded, "Dobby, come here."

Dobby obeyed Harry's wishes, his eyes closing as if he feared he was about to hit the young elf; instead, Harry dropped down to one knee and put a calm hand on Dobby's shoulder, his voice as soft as freshly-spun silk as he explained, "I understand that you're sorry and I forgive you for doing what you did: your steadfast loyalty towards me is what made Hogwarts and the powers within her choose you as my House Elf. I am glad to have a friend watching my back and at my service, but you're not going to be my servant; you're my friend, understand?"

Dobby sniffled once and threw his hands around Harry's neck, sobbing into his Master's robe as he explained, "Harry Potter is so kind sir; Dobby will do the best he can for his Master and never try to harm Harry Potter ever again."

"In that case," Harry told Dobby, "You can stop crying and tend to whatever duties you have: if you don't have any, then I'd like you to keep things in order around here and come to me immediately if there's anything that's needed."

He paused for a moment before a smile crossed his face and, looking back to Dobby as he rose, Harry added, "In fact, I'd like you to go to the Hogwarts staff right now: that's Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout as well as the Founders and tell them that if they need me for anything, they're to call on you; then could you also help me by helping Hermione, Neville and Ginny when they need you or me Dobby?"

"Dobby will be honoured to help Harry Potter see the Founders and Harry Potter's friends sir," Dobby replied, Harry nodding once as the House Elf left with a pop; however, even as Dobby had left, Harry still felt that mysterious warmth all around him, his magical essence still singing as he left the Lion's Wing for his first day of lessons.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Despite his Slytherin placing, Harry's lessons were actually provided by the Founders themselves as well as occasional intervention from the teachers, especially Professors Snape and McGonagall who saw to his Potions and Transfiguration mentoring.

When Harry asked how long this would go, it was Godric who said it would only last until the end of the year, which was now only weeks away, so Harry wouldn't have to worry.

However, he would have to report to Godric's office two evenings a week as of September for private lessons on controlling his new powers and abilities.

As it stood, Harry was still able to spend time with his friends and the new Headmaster of the school had actually offered him a chance to bring his friends along when these new lessons started in the new school year; it was an invitation that Harry accepted with thanks and the promise he would do well in his lessons.

As the first day of his catch-up classes came to an end, during which Harry had learned about Potions, Defence, Charms and Transfiguration all in one day, he was asked by Rowena to stay in the classroom they were using for a moment.

Apparently, what Harry was about to be told was only to be kept among the Founders and Professors McGonagall and Snape as, seconds later from her saying it, both said teachers joined the Hogwarts Founders and they all had looks of doubt and worry on their face.

Sealing the room with charms and wards, Salazar was the one to speak up, "Harry, do you recall yesterday afternoon when that black essence left your forehead and how you were so scared of it?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, shuddering for a moment as the thought of the small magical…thing that had left his body made his blood run cold, "I…I don't really remember why I was so scared of it, but when I saw it, I…I just…"

"We know," Godric continued, the new Headmaster of the school leaning rather casually against the desk they'd been using for Harry's lessons, "Which is also why since yesterday, Salazar and I have been looking into that thing and, if we're right, we believe it to have been a Horcrux."

"A…Horcrux?" asked Harry, "What's that Headmaster?"

"Harry," laughed Godric, "Before I answer that, I think it important to tell you that you are one of a few students who will have the right to use my name and not refer to me as Headmaster all the time; now, to answer your question, a Horcrux is a portion of a soul that has been severed from the body in an act of darkest magic, usually murder. In this particular case, we believe that the Horcrux…came from…Voldemort."

Minerva shuddered at the name and Harry actually swallowed hard as the memory of his parents' screams filled his mind: he had heard about Voldemort and why he was the Boy-Who-Lived: Hermione had explained all that before she'd returned to the Tower and he'd gone off to bed the night before.

He had heard that he was the only one to survive a painful, powerful curse, hence the mantle Boy-Who-Lived.

"Yes," Godric nodded, sighing deeply before he continued, "Voldemort's soul was inside your head and more than likely, you were the Horcrux he never meant to create: however, from our research, Salazar and I also believe that there were seals placed around the Horcrux that, over the years, leaked their power into your magic and decreased your potential greatly."

"But…who would do something like that?" asked Harry, rubbing at his forehead, remembering the petrifying fear he'd experienced from that small black creature.

"If we're right," Salazar continued, "The former Headmaster of this school: Albus Dumbledore; now the how and why he did this are unknown to us at the moment, but we recognised his signature on you when we appeared before you and, for that, we used our combined magic to evict him from the Head's position and from the school. As long as you are our ward and we remain living and breathing as we are now, you shall not have to worry about him crossing the doorways of the school: you are our ward Harry and we will not let anything threaten you."

He gave Harry a moment to let the information sink in before he continued, "Now, to continue what Godric was saying and to answer your next question, had the Horcrux remained, then there would be a small chance that Voldemort could have used the soul piece within you or even use your magic and…return from the land of the lost."

"Dead?" asked Harry, but he was both worried and surprised when it was Severus that answered.

"No," the Potions Master explained, "He is not dead: he is a wandering soul looking for a proper host: you have fought him once before and bested him then, but he still lives and, for want of a lesser term, breathes his breath, trying to find a way to return to the land of the living in a form of flesh and blood. The how and when of this return are things that we are unsure of at the moment, but, as Salazar told you Harry, we will not let him _or_ Dumbledore get close enough to threaten your safety."

"Wow," Harry gasped, actually surprised at the sincerity in Professor Snape's voice.

He actually sounded both concerned for Harry and determined to live up to the word that he was swearing to protect his newest snake.

"Now," Rowena picked up the conversation here, "We told you this in secret because we didn't want anyone else to know and, if possible, feed the information to Dumbledore or anyone that could pose a threat to you. As things stand, I feel that the only one you could trust with this information is young Miss Granger…" she paused for a moment as they all saw a blush creep up Harry's neck.

It looked like the feelings associated with their bond were finally starting to show. "…However, other than her, I don't advise you to tell anyone else about this until we're sure of the facts; in the meantime, I want you to know that, after today, we can all see that you're going to do well in the New Year, Harry. You finally have the chance to show your full potential and we couldn't be more proud of you."

Harry couldn't hide the smile of thanks that he showed to his mentors and extended family…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

After a further few minutes in which Professor McGonagall told Harry about the electives for the new term – Harry choosing Care of Magical Creatures as the Founders explained that his private studies would take up the second block of options, leaving him a free space in his timetable once their studies were completed – the young ward of the Founders left the classroom with a bit of a spring to his step as he thought about everything he had learned, but the spring came from the pride they had shown him.

Though he couldn't remember the how's and whys of the times before Hogwarts, Harry had the distinct impression that he had never really been told that anyone was proud of him before, but that was his old life and this was the new and improved Harry Potter and he was determined to continue to make his mentors proud of him.

As he rounded the corner leading back towards the Grand Staircase, Harry stopped as a rather unusual sight met his eyes: it was a young girl standing on the top step in the space in front of him, but what was strange was the fact that she was only wearing what looked to be a bathing towel and nothing else.

Clearing his throat, Harry approached the girl, noticing she had light blonde hair and, when he saw her face, he saw two lovely blue eyes that seemed to shine like starlight. "Are…are you all right miss?"

"Hello Harry Potter," the girl replied, her voice like music as she addressed him, "I am perfectly fine: just a little joke my House mates play on me."

"Joke?" asked Harry, keeping his gaze on the girl's face so he didn't embarrass her, "You're dressed in a bathing towel out on the Grand Staircase: how can this be a joke?"

"I'm fine," the girl told him, "They're always playing jokes, but I know they don't mean anything by it: I'm Luna, by the way: Luna Lovegood."

"Would you mind coming with me then Miss Lovegood?" asked a sharp voice, Harry turning to see Godric standing behind him and the mysterious Luna girl. "I believe a little word with the Ravenclaw students is in order: Harry, why don't you go back to your dorm and I'll see you later?"

"Yes Headmaster," Harry replied, his eyes burning with tears that threatened to come out as he watched Luna escort Godric away from the stairs and towards the Ravenclaw Dormitory, the Founder of Gryffindor – and husband of the Ravenclaw Founder, which meant trouble for the Eagles – creating a new robe for Luna.

Once he was sure it was safe, Harry took off at a run, his heart aching terribly and his magic crackling in the air all around him as he raced up towards the Lion's Wing, passing the Fat Lady's portrait as he moved, the guardian of Gryffindor Tower looking worried as she wondered what could have upset the boy so much.

Reaching the Wing, Harry gave the password to the twin Knights and entered the main Common Room-like area, his hands shaking terribly as he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, his crackling magic making the flames in the fireplace waver dangerously.

How could someone call such bullying of someone like Luna a joke?

And how could she just stand there and take it like it meant nothing to her?

If there was one thing that Harry couldn't stand, it was seeing people looking so helpless; heaven forbid he knew how it felt, but for the victim of such torment to pass it off as nothing more than a joke…a…a game was…just wrong.

He didn't feel sorry for the Ravenclaws one little bit…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

After a few days, the attitude in Hogwarts seemed to return to normal, though Harry, who still ate meals with the Gryffindors – at the Headmaster's request – with Hermione, Neville and Ginny at his side, noticed that there was a hush over the Ravenclaw Table, Luna apparently feeling better and able to move about so openly without jokes being played on her.

At one such dinner meal, Harry asked the others, "What do you guys know about that Luna Lovegood?"

"A single-parent child," Ginny explained, her voice telling Harry that she knew quite a bit, "Her Mother died when she was eight years old and Luna never really changed after that: she's a bit of a dreamer, but a good friend: it was nice of you to try and help her Harry."

"But why do they do these things to her?" asked Harry, trying to concentrate on his dinner, but the thought of someone else who knew what it was like to lose family had made him lose his appetite, unlike Ginny's big-mouthed brother Ronald who seemed to resemble a human vacuum cleaner with whatever he could sink his teeth into.

"Because they can," Neville explained, his voice as emotionally-changed as Harry's, "I met Luna just after the start of the new term last September and she doesn't fight back or try to find help, passing off their taunts and jibes as nothing more than jokes: her dreamer state is why some people give her the nickname of Loony Lovegood."

A knife suddenly flew off the table near Harry, Ginny having to duck as it hit the wall just behind her; looking to Harry, the others shuddered at the look of dark emotions in his eyes as he asked, "Does…does she have…any friends here?"

"Well," Ginny replied, "I've known her for a while, but after we split through Houses, I sort of distanced from her; I've seen a few other members of my year trying to know her, but then they hear the name and their opinions change."

A fork soon joined the knife and, next to him, Harry heard Hermione whisper, "It's all right Harry: don't lose it like that; you have the right kind of friends and nothing like that."

"You're right Hermione," Harry sighed, wandlessly summoning the knife and fork out of the wall, a part of him sensing a feeling of relief that couldn't have come from anyone around him.

In fact, if Harry didn't know better, he'd swear it came from Hogwarts herself;

"Perhaps," he reasoned, attracting the attention of his small band of brothers and sisters, "It's time we extend the hand of friendship to her: if anything, we can keep an eye on her so that the Eagles don't try anything that the staff may not notice."

"With Rowena Ravenclaw _and_ Professor Flitwick watching them more like hawks?" laughed Ginny incredulously, "There's more chance of the Cannons winning the Quidditch World Championships for a ten-year streak!"

The others laughed with her statement, Harry then noticing a rather green look appearing on Ron's face as his sister seemed to insult something pretty personal: just from the look, Harry could wager that the so-called Cannons were a team that Weasley supported…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The end of the year was finally approaching and, on the night before they were set to leave, after an evening of meditation practices with Salazar Slytherin, Harry was moving up through the halls of Hogwarts when he heard a loud thud coming from the sixth floor.

Doubling back, Harry went from a calm studious demeanour to the dragon that dwelled beneath him as he saw three unidentifiable Ravenclaw students ganging up on a familiar blonde-haired Eagle in Luna.

With no staff around this time, Harry approached, deciding that if they wouldn't listen to the warnings of the Founder of their House – or her husband for that matter, who also happened to be Headmaster of Hogwarts – then Harry would have to send a message himself.

Approaching the small flock of Eagles, Harry heard a female voice ask, "So did you honestly think we'd let you return to the Loony House without thanking you for sucking up to Gryffindor?"

"I didn't suck up," Luna told them, her voice was calm and apathetic as she addressed them, "I couldn't be held responsible for what I was part of: I know it was all a joke, but the Founders are here for a reason."

"What?" laughed a male voice and that made Harry _mad!_

A girl-on-girl fight he could handle, but when it was a squabble and possible violence between members of the opposite genders, then it took it to a whole new level of wrong. "Did the _Nargles_ tell you or are you going to say that the Wrackspurts were inside the Headmaster's head?"

"It's possible," Luna told them, "Wrackspurts gather around times and beings of power trying to make their minds go…"

"Shut your mouth Loony Lovegood," a third voice insisted and Harry saw red…and not just red-hair that revealed itself as Ronald Weasley.

Seconds later, he turned the corner and was just in time to see Weasley slap Luna across her mouth, "You and your make-believe friends won't help you now: thanks to you, my own sister turned me into a laughing stock…well, her and Potter."

"Oh," Luna gasped, looking past the gang of three suddenly, "Hello Harry Potter."

"Yeah," Ron laughed, "Like we're going to fall for that: what would some unable to die freak like Potter want with a psycho, mental patient wannabe like Loony Lovegood?"

"I don't know," Harry replied and three wands clattered to the floor, "Why don't you turn around and ask him Weasley?"

As the two Eagles and the Lion turned to face the now pissed-off Snake, Harry shook his head calmly, his voice cutting into each of them as he asked, "Smacking a girl Weasley? Do you actually have any brains in your head or did Lockhart's spell knock some of them out as well?"

"H-H-Harry," Ron laughed, Harry noticing how his teeth that he had knocked out of Ron had been magically repaired, "W-W-We didn't s-s-see you there: you should h-h-have heard her…saying you d-d-deserved your accident."

"Nice try Weasley," Harry replied, extending a hand to Luna, who actually smiled as she accepted it, Harry pulling her free of her captors as he added, "But I heard the whole thing and _saw_ you strike her…here," he added, lifting a hand to Luna's cheek, "Let me take care of that."

One of the things that he had started to learn from Salazar was how to control his spell-induced and wandless control over the powers of healing and, according to Slytherin, one of the things that Harry needed for wandless casting was the strength and will to see the healing made complete.

So, when Harry removed his hand from Luna's cheek, revealing now unblemished skin from what had once been slowly bruising flesh, he smiled with success as he realised just how strong he was becoming…and there was so much more he wanted to learn.

"Thank you Harry Potter," Luna smiled, Harry nodding to her as he brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

"My friends call me Harry," he told her, looking to Ron as he said the next words, "And you, Luna Lovegood, are more than worthy and welcome to call yourself my friend: you don't have to be alone just because others can't accept you're different. Now…"

Here, he shielded Luna from the others as he asked, "I know you, Dead Man Walking, but who are you two?"

"M-M-M-Marietta Edgecombe," the Ravenclaw girl stammered, "S-S-Second year and someone you d-d-don't want to cross P-P-Potter: my daddy's high up in the Ministry."

"And my Daddy isn't around so I can't match that," Harry told her, his voice now a hiss as he reached into his power and summoned his sword to his side, the sight of the ancient sword suddenly making Ron's trousers darken while Marietta gasped and the Ravenclaw boy seemed to be the only one who understood what was about to be revealed.

As they watched with a mix of fright and realisation, Harry continued in a dangerously-calm voice, "However, I do possess this sword, so I guess that marks my _loco parentis _as none other than our esteemed Headmaster, Godric Gryffindor: wonder which side would win. Now, what about you young man?"

"Boot," the boy replied, "Terry Boot…Mr Potter; I didn't mean to be a part of this, but when I heard that Lovegood had gone over the head of our own Head of House to question our House, I was angry: please…I beg your forgiveness."

"Did you hit her?"

"No: I would ever strike a woman."

He was telling the truth; keeping the sword in his hand, Harry nodded once, "Get out of here and if I hear you threaten anyone again Boot, you and I will be having words."

Terry was gone, leaving the one that Harry had no doubt was the source of the problem with Luna in Marietta and the loyal puppy-dog who'd do anything to harm his friends in the Dead Man Walking known as Ron Weasley.

"Get this through your thick heads," Harry warned them, sheathing the sword as he didn't _really_ want to bother wielding it for something as trivial as this, "Luna _does_ now have friends: three of whom are Gryffindors and one whom is a Slytherin that is well-respected by the Founders and _your_ Heads of House."

Marietta nodded with fearful understanding while Ron just stood there with that stupid look on his face as Harry continued, "Believe me when I say that if you try to upset her again, threaten her, insult her family or, god forbid, hit her again then I will not be so calm: as of this moment, Luna is considered under my personal protection and believe me, I _will_ use this – he lifted the pommel of the sword – next time and not just to knock out some teeth: do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Marietta replied; seeing the sword wielded by none other than Harry Potter had told her that she couldn't use her _daddy_ for this one, but it didn't mean that this was the end.

"Weasley?" asked Harry, but Weasley was still petrified by the sight of the sword of Gryffindor wielded by a Slytherin _and_ by the person that had forced him to have magical surgery on his mouth.

Seeing the unspoken answer, Harry nodded, "Good…because next time, I may just have to convince Hermione to get in touch with her parents: I've heard that dentistry the Muggle way is not only slower, but ten times more painful: good day."

With Luna at his side, Harry turned on his heel and moved up to the Lion's Wing, his voice speaking with determination as he revealed the password to her.

Passing into the main room of the Wing, Harry explained, "Before September, I will be having words with your new Head of House to move you in here Luna: you'll be safe and, as I said, I am placing you under my protection: you're my friend Luna and I won't let that change because you're different: I may be a Slytherin, but I'm not _that_ kind of Slytherin."

"Thank you Harry," Luna smiled, her mind already making plans to speak to her Father about what Harry was saying;

Maybe there was something he could do for the revealed Heir of Gryffindor to even things out in this protection deal against his daughter;

Even…fealty…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When Hermione and Neville learned that Luna had joined Harry in the Lion's Wing, they were both pleased that the 'protect-his-friends' side of Harry hadn't been lost by his loss of memories, though Neville was also glad that Harry had personally sworn to protect Luna in future.

After sending his warning, Harry noticed that Boot seemed to get the message, word of him helping Luna with her studies and guiding her to lessons reaching Harry's ears; on the other hand, he also heard that Professor Flitwick had told Marietta about the consequences of not only crossing a close friend of Miss Lovegood, but also their potential future Head of House.

As Harry had learned – and passed on to the other members of his close circle – the Founders would be using the Sorting Hat of all things to decide who would Head which House and, while in cases such as Professor McGonagall, there would be those who still taught the lessons, the Founders had agreed that if they were _not_ made Head of a House, they would still be in communication with each represented member to ensure that events such as Miss Lovegood did not happen again.

This information scared the living daylights out of Neville and, when Harry asked why, the Longbottom Heir explained that this _resort_ of sorts meant that Gryffindors could end up being headed by Salazar _Slytherin_ and vice-versa.

With a laugh, all four members of Harry's circle – Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville – joining him in the Common Room of the Lion's Wing, Harry countered that argument.

"Just like Professor McGonagall gave her position away because of her duties as our Deputy Headmistress, so too did Godric give away his right to be named a Head because of how he is the Headmaster. The only ones who will be chosen are Professors Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinistra, Vector and even Hagrid will be among the listed."

"How come?" asked Hermione, knowing that Harry's memories of her may have helped him remember their time with Hagrid if he was being so informal.

"Because Professor Kettleburn is retiring at the end of the year," Harry explained, "And his replacement will be Hagrid: given what I remember about him, I think it's a good choice: plus, as a bonus, I did choose Care as a topic."

"As did Hermione and I," added Neville, Harry nodding in agreement as the Longbottom Heir explained, "But just imagine one of the Houses being led by Hagrid? It'd be a nice chance to see someone other than Professor Flitwick teaching despite the Ministry's beliefs in half-breed rights."

"I know," Harry agreed, "But the Heads positions are the only things being affected: as I understand it, Salazar is still going to be our Defence Professor and Godric's going to have words with Professor Binns to get him to move on: they didn't say who they're going to get to replace him, but apparently, it's someone who deserves the position and has a way with the students. Wouldn't surprise me if he was a student here at one time," he added with a laugh, looking now to Hermione who had cleared her throat.

"What about Lady Ravenclaw and Lady Hufflepuff?" she asked him, Harry smiling with a note of amusement to him as he knew that Hermione was being honourable with the names for the sake of conversation.

Due to their friendships with Harry, the circle had been given permission to call the Founders by their first names, though Harry could still see that Hermione was a bit of a stickler for honour from time to time.

"They'll be added to the choices as well," Harry explained, "As will Salazar and Madam Pomfrey _and_ Madam Hooch: all of them are in line; now, I don't know how exactly it's going to work, but Godric said that he'll announce it on the first day back in September."

"Personally," laughed Neville suddenly, "I hope the Gryffindors _do_ get Salazar as our head of house: just to see the blood drain from Weasley's face when he realises he can't target any of us for being friends with you anymore."

"I know," Harry laughed, though Hermione noticed he looked to Luna before continuing, "Which is also why I would like the four of you to know that this dorm is always open to you: I've had a word with Godric myself and he said that we don't always have to stay in our Houses, so if you wish to spend time here, then you can and _I'll_ be the one responsible for you."

"And if not us," Luna added, throwing in her two Knuts to this conversation, "Then Headmaster Gryffindor will watch over us, won't he Harry?"

"With me as his ward and the charge of all four Founders?" asked Harry with an incredulous laugh, "I think he'll do more than that Luna-girl: if the Founders become Heads of House, it'll be a case to some to think I can get away with murder…which I can't."

As they all laughed in agreement with the statement, Hermione looked once to Luna before she looked back to Harry, a small sense of something she couldn't understand making her nervous.

Whenever she saw Harry with Luna, she felt happy, of course, but she also couldn't help but feel jealous of Luna being so close to Harry.

And, in the cases where she noticed Harry getting stronger, Hermione also noticed that she could _feel_ his magic and sometimes just know how he was feeling: like on the day he'd found Luna on the stairs in a towel; Hermione had felt a sense of raw anger and power that made her scared, but she just _knew_ it was Harry.

Was there something wrong with her or was it because of how Harry had trusted her so much?

Had Harry's influential presence with her and their friends created more than kinship with them?

Was it some kind of…bond?

Perhaps it was time she looked into this and, since she didn't want to distress Harry, Hermione knew that she'd have to resort to Plan B and speak with the Founders about what was going on here…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Shutting his trunk and sealing it with a whisper of Parseltongue – a trick taught to him by Salazar – Harry heaved a sigh before he looked around his single-bed dormitory in the Lion's Wing: it amazed him that the last day of the school year had come by so quickly and, with no real worries other than those associated with his lessons, Harry had been able to get on with his work.

Learning his craft from the Founders had been fun and, if he was being honest with himself, he was going to miss it: he was going to miss being told that he was making them proud of him and, most of all, he was going to miss the four walls and mystical presence of the old girl around him.

Hogwarts had become more than just a school to him: she had become the very citadel that Godric and Rowena had told him about: his home away from home – wherever home actually was – and a place he felt safe and secure.

Every day, he had felt that mysterious wave of magic, the same essence he'd felt when he'd accidentally implanted a knife and fork into the wall of the school, comforting him and protecting him, its voice more like a mournful tune that whispered to him and him alone.

'Hopefully,' Harry couldn't help but think, 'When I return to Hogwarts in the fall, I'll be able to hear her real voice, but I _am_ going to miss her.'

A familiar pop cut of Harry's train of thought; looking over his shoulder, he smiled when Dobby, dressed in his smart-looking robes with the Crest on his lapel, gave a gasp before he explained, "Harry, Headmaster Gryffin wishes to see you sir."

"Thank you Dobby," Harry replied, checking the time thanks to a magical clock that Rowena had given him: it was shaped like the Crest of Hogwarts with the four animal representations of the Houses at the 3, 6, 9 and 12-o-clock points, the hands shaped like wands and the remaining numbers all in Roman Numerical format.

The time, at the moment, read just after nine, which gave him less than two hours before the train would leave Hogsmeade Station.

Looking back to Dobby, Harry asked, "If I'm running a little late, would you take my things down to the Express and see them safely to a compartment?"

"Yes sir," Dobby replied, remaining ever-loyal to Harry as he stood guard next to Harry's trunk, the young ward of the Founders turning on his heel and sweeping out of the Lion's Wing, making his way down to the Founder's Office. Unlike before, when he'd needed a password to enter, the wards around the office recognised his magical signature and let him in immediately.

Ascending the stairs, Harry pushed open the door, knowing that Godric was expecting him, so he didn't need to knock, before he stepped inside.

Godric was waiting there, as were the other Founders and, to Harry's surprise, Hermione and Professor McGonagall, all of them turning as he walked through the door, Godric moving from his place behind the desk as he beamed proudly, "Harry, there you are: I see Dobby gave you my message?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, Godric smiling proudly, his green eyes twinkling; like everyone else, Harry had noticed that his own emerald eyes matched those of the Headmaster and a part of him wondered if he really was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor in blood as well as magic.

The Founders had named him their Heir when they'd infused his magic with their gifts, but Harry had recently begun to wonder if there was more to it than met the eye; moving to the desk, Harry asked, "Is there something I can do before leaving sir?"

"I was just wondering," Godric replied, before he laughed as he asked, "Whether or not you actually knew where you were going this summer?"

'Ah,' Harry thought, the hole in his plan clearly showing in his expression as an amused laugh spread among the Founders: it wasn't to insult him, but they had clearly noticed before he had.

With a shy, embarrassed smile of his own, Harry asked, "I guess that would be useful wouldn't it? I just thought it was normal for a student to leave the school at the end of the year and didn't question whether or not I had somewhere to go."

"Well," Godric chuckled, moving towards his young charge and ruffling his black hair, "You may be pleased to know that Miss Hermione here has managed to secure you a place with her and her family over the summer until we sort out otherwise."

"Wow," Harry gasped, looking to a slightly embarrassed Hermione; as always, when he looked to those brown eyes of his best friend, Harry couldn't help but feel a modicum of warmth surge through him, "You did that for me?"

"We're friends," Hermione answered him, "And besides, my parents have wanted to meet you officially since I started sending letters home talking about my time here at school."

"Anyway," Salazar added, "There is something we need to discuss Harry: you see, though you may not remember it, you actually had guardians, for want of a lesser term, where you returned to over the holidays…but no longer."

"Why not?" asked Harry, noticing a guilt-ridden look appear on the face of Professor McGonagall; testing a theory that had come to mind, he asked, "There was nothing…_wrong_ with them…was there?"

"They were your Mother's family," Rowena explained, "Miss Petunia Dursley nee Evans and Mr Vernon Dursley as well as their son Dudley; Petunia was your Mother's half-sister and she _hated_ anything to do with magic: so, when your parents…were lost to us, you were left there."

"WHAT?" Roared Harry, his magic making the walls of the office tremble, Godric smiling sadly as he suspected this would happen, but both Minerva and Severus had agreed that Harry deserved to know this, "So you're telling me that someone actually left me with a family that _despised_ magic so much they abandoned their own kin? What kind of sick, demented-minded monster would do that to an unsuspecting…little…"

He trailed off as he saw Minerva's eyes dampen with tears that wouldn't come.

He really didn't want to question his Deputy, as she had helped him so far, but he had to know, "You?"

"And Dumbledore," Minerva answered, "He assured me it was for the best and that it was the only place you could go: Harry, there are things you need to know and I don't know if…"

Looking to Godric instead of Minerva, Harry sighed before he asked, "Got a chair? I think we'd better start at the beginning…and this time, tell me everything."

"We always will," Rowena replied, unaware that, as the conversation turned to the life Harry had once lived with the Dursleys, she would be needed to comfort the boy, his magic occasionally striking at Hogwarts' walls, but taking so long that, by the time they were done, it was through the acts of the Founders that Harry just managed to catch the train.

When Rowena, who had escorted Harry and Hermione to the train, returned to the office, she turned into the vicious Eagle that she represented as she told her husband, "We have work to do Godric."

"I know we do my dear," Godric replied, his own eyes filled with determination as he looked to Salazar, "I can only hope that Harry likes our offer, but for now, let's let him go to a place he'll be safe."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Salazar offered, "And I'll have Severus help me: if anything, to make up for what he's done to that boy over the past two years."

Godric's green eyes suddenly brightened and, moving around the table, he clasped his fellow Founder and redeemed friend in a warm hug before he exclaimed, "Sal my old friend and rival…you're a bloody genius."

'Yikes,' Rowena thought to herself, 'Godric cussing and complimenting Sal with a remark: it _must_ be a good one.'

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

It wasn't until after one-o-clock that Harry spoke again, the train already halfway back on the way to King's Cross Station, Harry's compartment being shared by Hermione, Neville and Luna, his three friends all knowing that it was pretty foolish to try and calm him down.

With his level of magical power, letting him vent it out was both a good idea and a bad one.

When he spoke, it was with a suspicious tone as he addressed Hermione, "Did…did you know about them?"

"I did," Hermione replied, her eyes on him as she spoke, "We all suspected something was different: Harry, when you first came to Hogwarts, you saw what you looked like and you don't have to hide the fact that you're not used to people saying they're proud of you. The life you led with…with _them_ was just awful and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but since you couldn't remember it then…"

"Hermione," Harry cut her off, his voice now slightly warmer as he shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry for: you've offered me a place to stay for the summer and a chance to, by the sounds of it, actually _enjoy_ the summer. Besides, I don't think that any of the Founders will actually let me go back to them: I'd be willing to bet that, as we speak, they're trying to come up with a plan to keep me away from there for good. Personally, given what I've heard, I'll be glad to see the back of them and never hear from those…those…_freaks_ who call themselves Muggles ever again."

"On a brighter note," Neville then asked, deciding to try and bring back the happy-go-lucky Harry that had been spending time with them as of late, "What are your plans for the summer you two?"

"Training," Harry explained, knowing that his lessons with the Founders wouldn't stop just because it was the summer holidays; he _couldn't_ use magic outside Hogwarts, but that was magic with a wand and his Elemental Magic _didn't_ need a wand to be used, so he could train them and also enhance his Occlumency and Legilimency skills.

"Not all the time," Hermione added, taking Harry's hand as she explained, "Mum and Dad have organised a holiday and have already added the payment for you to join us."

"Anywhere nice?" asked Luna, noticing the calm effect that Hermione had on Harry: she may be a bit of a dreamer, but even Luna Lovegood knew the signs of a flourishing bond being born into the world of magic.

"The Lakes," Hermione explained, "Mostly Lake Windermere, but we'll be going around that area: Dad wanted France, but Mum cut that idea off as she knew that we'd need somewhere calm given everything that's happened _and_ it's also a perfect place to just let your troubles wash away."

"Earth and Water," Harry added, his eyes already housing a calculating look, "And you think my training will stop because I'm going on holiday: yeah right; I'll find somewhere quiet where my magic can't be witnessed and then…"

"Harry James Potter," Hermione scolded him, making Luna and Neville laugh slightly as they saw Harry's head lower in shame as Hermione told him, "You will do no such thing: even I'm leaving all my school things at home for the holiday: this is a chance to relax and be kids and you _will_ do that or I'll make you remember why it's not such a good idea to do something that I'm not in total agreement with."

"But Hermione," Harry argued, "If I don't keep up my training, then Godric and Salazar…they'll…"

"They'll still be proud of you," Hermione told him, her voice soft once more as she realised what he was doing.

Placing her hand on his arm, Hermione asked softly, "Is that…is that why you've been pushing yourself in your lessons?"

"I've never had anyone proud of me," Harry explained, though his voice did turn dark for a second as he added, "And now I know why, but I don't want to lose that."

"You're their charge," Neville pointed out, "Which means they're your guardians: the fact you can enjoy this holiday means that they'll be proud you can still be a kid despite all that's happened."

"Hey, I know!" he then added, a knowing smile crossing his face, "Why don't I have words with my Gran and we'll see if we can join you? Luna, could your Dad do the same do you think?"

"I don't see why not," Luna added, now looking to Harry's eyes as she asked, "What do you think Harry? The four of us all going on holiday together."

"Not with Hermione's parents obviously," Neville added, "But we could make it look like we've met on a whim: then, because we're friends, we'll all be able to have fun together and Harry can still feel like he's in touch with the magical world."

"Do you know what?" asked Hermione, laughing now as she picked up on the logic in that plan, "That's a pretty good idea: it'll be for a fortnight at a campsite on the northern side of Windermere, but with everything that we can do around there, it'll be a perfect chance to have some fun together."

As everyone agreed with the plan, Hermione gave a knowing smile as she looked between Harry and Neville before she asked, "And guess when the fun will start?"

"Gosh I don't know," Neville replied, seeing the look that was being shared between the two friends, "Would it be July 31st? The very date that Harry and I were born and will celebrate our thirteenth birthdays?"

"Got it in one," Hermione laughed, Harry now smiling as he realised that either it was meant to be a surprise or Hermione and the team had planned this beforehand; he wouldn't put it past them to be the latter.

"All right," he finally remarked, admitting defeat to his worthy adversaries, "I give: no magic, no training and no homework; just some summer fun in the sun with our friends. Thanks guys."

"That's what friends are for," Luna told him, her words making Harry feel like the weight of his world – weighed down by his belief he needed to do everything to please his mentors – had suddenly become lighter than air…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When the Hogwarts Express reached King's Cross Station, talk was still going on between the four friends with regards to their up-and-coming holiday, Luna having been camping the Muggle way before while Neville was unused to it, but Hermione promised him that she'd help him adjust.

Both Neville and Luna's guardians were waiting for them on the magical side of the station so, after saying their goodbyes, Harry and Hermione passed through the barrier, their trunks and a cage that held a beautiful snowy owl carried on trolleys.

When Harry had seen his owl for the first time, he had actually remembered her and Hermione wondered if Hedwig was a magical familiar to Harry, which would explain the sudden memory burst.

Whatever the reason, she was glad that he had enough memory of his friend to still treat her as the kind, gentle Harry would do.

On the other side of the barrier, Hermione guided Harry away from the hustle and bustle of the trains and over to a spot where two people were waiting, both of them waving to the young Granger as they caught sight of her.

Somehow _knowing_ that Harry was nervous about meeting them, Hermione took his hand before she explained, "Don't worry: they've actually been looking forwards to meeting you and, if you want to say anything, then don't be afraid: they don't bite."

With a smile, Harry approached both of the figures, Hermione then taking care of the introductions as she explained, "Harry, these are my parents, Daniel and Emma Granger; Mum, Dad, this is Harry Potter."

"Ah," Mr Granger laughed; with his wild dark hair and deep brown eyes, Harry thought he was looking at himself in a few years' time. "So this is the infamous Mr Potter is it? Hermione's told us quite a bit about you."

"Now Daniel," Emma warned her husband, Harry actually laughing as he thought he was looking at an older Hermione.

Emma Granger had deep brown, almost black, hair and light blue eyes that made Harry feel like he really was safe around them; like her husband, Emma was dressed in a tracksuit that seemed to express her slim figure and well-kept physique; she also had a slight bossy edge to her tone that had Harry know she was definitely Hermione's Mother.

When it wasn't bossy, it was kind and almost musical, but for now, it was the bossy side of her as she explained, "You shouldn't embarrass Harry like that: after all, he's to be our house guest for the summer; thank you for accepting the invitation by the way."

"It was the least I could do for my friend," Harry replied, both he and Hermione having talked about what he could and couldn't say about things that had happened, "And thank you for inviting me on your holiday Mrs Granger."

"Emma please," replied the elder female, her hand moving behind Harry's back while Dan helped his daughter with their trunks, "Now why don't we all head out to the car and we can be getting on home?"

However, just before Harry reached the door of King's Cross, a loud voice cut through the crowds, making Harry stop dead with a feeling of both dread and inevitability, "BOY!"

Removing Emma's hand from his back, Harry turned and saw a large, whale-like man with chins that wobbled like a tray of jelly thundering towards him, his face a deep shade of purple and his apparently-smartened suit now barely holding it together.

Harry didn't need to remember any specific details to hazard a guess as to who this was: his Uncle, Vernon Dursley.

"Uncle," he remarked, his tone growing dark once again: after everything he'd learned from Minerva and Godric, as well as the comfort he'd been given by Rowena, Harry had hoped he wouldn't meet the family anytime soon. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing with these decent people?" asked Vernon, his eyes noticing the rather cut appearance of Daniel Granger, though it was the sight of the trunks held by Hermione that did the job. "Oh I see: you think you can just waltz off with freaks like your lot and leave the house untidy?"

"Actually," Harry replied, squaring up to his Uncle: given his recently well-kept physique, it was pretty easy to do so; Salazar and Rowena had both told him to never back down when it was those he cared about in danger.

He wasn't a weak boy any longer: he was the Son and ward of Hogwarts and the charge of the Founders; all their skills and all their bravery had been given to him for a reason. "I was thinking I would leave you and your bear pit in hell where you belong."

A hand came towards him, a gasp coming from behind him, but Harry, with the reactions that had made him the youngest Seeker in a century, grabbed the hand and twisted it sharply, somehow – though Hermione suspected that his magic had something to do with it - pinning Vernon to the floor with a loud crash, the wrist of the man held tight as Harry held him tight.

With his green eyes almost glowing dangerously, Harry then hissed in his ear, "Let's get our facts straight Vernon: I'm leaving you and your lot alone and I'm not scared of you any longer. If you come near me, I will risk magical prison to bring the seven circles of Hell down on you for what you put me through; if you threaten my friends, I will hurt you worse than this and, if you even think of trying to hurt me again, then, as far as I'm concerned, you're dragon bait. Now, I'm going to release you and you're going to get up, walk away and stay the hell out of my life: are we clear?"

Vernon, surprised at the strength possessed by his favourite servant and punching bag, feeling the skin and muscle in his arm going to sleep with the snake-like embrace, gave the right answer…for once, "Yes."

"Yes…what?" asked Harry, tightening the hold and wandlessly pushing a cold spell over the bone in Vernon's arm, making it feel as numb as he had done when Lockhart removed his bones.

"Yes…Mr Potter," Vernon replied, Harry releasing him as quickly as he had countered the attack.

"There we are then; thanks for that; Cheers, big fellow," remarked Harry, earning blanched expressions from the Grangers at how quick his attitude had changed.

With a rather successful smile, Harry let go of Vernon's hand and began to move back towards Hermione, who was relieved and slightly amused at what she'd just witnessed.

As Harry returned to her and her parents, he smiled softly as he told Hermione, "I may not remember who I once was, but I know what sort of a man I am now."

However, Vernon wasn't known for being a man of his word; getting to his feet, he charged at Harry, Hermione's voice echoing through the station, "Harry!"

A powerful blast of wind suddenly blew through the door, knocking Vernon into an ordinary stone pillar where, for the second time, it was proven that when stone met flesh, stone won: Vernon Dursley would be paralyzed from the waist down from that day on…which was more than Lockhart got.

Leaving the station, Harry whispered to Hermione, "No second chances, I'm that sort of a man."

**Chapter 4 – and another combined chapter of two old ones – and Harry seems to have shown why he's more Grey than Light, but can a holiday with his best friend help soothe the raging dragon within?**

**Also, what is the Founders' Plan and how will it affect Harry's future?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Harry stays with Hermione's parents, but can he talk to her or them about these mysterious feelings he has for her? Also, it's time for a summer holiday and the lake seems to have a magical effect all its own on Harry; the adults figure out that their children planned this and there's a surprise guest for Harry at the lake…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Harry's warning**_

**The last words and encounter with Vernon were actually inspired by Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion; all copyright to the BBC;**

_**AN2: Harry and Luna**_

**A few of you have questioned about the sort of effect that Luna will have on Harry, so I'll say it now that she's going to be more of a sisterly figure to Harry than actual relationship: this is a Harmony story and it's staying that way…**


	5. Friends of the Family

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Guest: Well I have plans for who will be Head of what House including who'll be responsible for keeping an eye on our Golden Gang;**

**Alucard hellsing: Poetic justice if you ask me: after all, walruses don't really move as things stand: well, now he won't have to, will he?**

**EndlessChains: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I only hope you like what's coming;**

**StormyFireDragon: Repercussions will be dealt in due time, Storm: in the meantime, it's time for some fun in the sun;**

**Daithi4377: You'll find out the Ministry's angle in this chapter, my friend;**

**Lawstudent092: Without giving too much away, I'm only going to say that the time ahead is going to be fun;**

**ALSO: Since it's inevitable that people will ask, **_**yes**_**, Draco will **_**eventually**_** be an ally of Harry's as I want to use a particular event to get him to change his mind, much like I did with my other successful Harmony story: Chronicles of Camelot.**

_As Harry returned to her and her parents, he smiled softly as he told Hermione, "I may not remember who I once was, but I know what sort of a man I am now."_

_However, Vernon wasn't known for being a man of his word; getting to his feet, he charged at Harry, Hermione's voice echoing through the station, "Harry!"_

_A powerful blast of wind suddenly blew through the door, knocking Vernon into an ordinary stone pillar where, for the second time, it was proven that when stone met flesh, stone won: Vernon Dursley would be paralyzed from the waist down from that day on…which was more than Lockhart got._

_Leaving the station, Harry whispered to Hermione, "No second chances, I'm that sort of a man."_

Chapter 5: Friends of the Family

The Grangers' home was located in the village of Crawley, a simple three-storey house – two floors plus the attic area – and, when Harry, Dan, Emma and Hermione reached the house, Hermione was still a little shocked by what had happened at the station.

Not only had Harry shown mercy, or at least, _tried_ to, in saying his goodbyes to his now ex-family members, but he had also managed to control his emotions and the element of wind to protect him.

Admittedly, Hermione had been scared when she'd seen the wind send Harry's uncle crashing into the stone barrier, but when they'd heard his scream, she'd known that Harry's magic was much easier to tame than the backlash that Lockhart had suffered in robbing Harry of the majority of his memories.

Lockhart's death hadn't been Harry's fault, but if Hermione knew her Harry and if he had come to realise what he had done, she knew that there was a chance that he would blame himself.

However, Hermione also knew that Harry sought comfort and friendship from her and their friends, so he would find it easy to get over something he couldn't control…or at least, she hoped he would.

Taking their trunks and Hedwig's cage into the house, Dan and Emma set the kids' trunks down before Dan spoke up, "Now, Harry: our guest room is usually the first room on your left, but Emma and I have been talking and we decided that we think we can trust you to be a gentleman with our daughter, so, if you want, we can set up the spare bed in the attic room owned by Hermione."

"If you mean I would abuse the privilege and try something that I admittedly do not wish to do," Harry told him, his voice still slightly creepy as he looked to Dan, "Then you can trust me not to do that Dan. Hermione is my best friend and, in the event that I _did_ end up feeling…things for her, I would still wait for her permission to take any sort of relationship any further. I respect her as a person and as my friend and would split the earth in two to find her if anything ever happened to her."

'Wow,' Hermione thought, her eyes wide as her Father's, Dan actually stunned not only by the lack of joking in the tone, but how sincere Harry was with his words. 'I never knew Harry even considered feeling…things for me: I mean, I like him, but…things like…like _that_? Does he really think of me in that way?'

"Then it's settled," Emma beamed, Hermione actually realising she was smiling as she heard her Mother's words, "We'll set up the spare bed and, before we go away, you two can share the attic room: if you want," she added, now looking to her daughter, "The guest room can be used as a study for you both if you want to do any learning from school."

"Thanks Mrs…I mean Emma," Harry nodded, Hermione then being surprised as he summoned the wind from around them and, with some difficulty, managed to levitate their trunks up the stairs, Emma watching as her daughter followed him up the stairs, both of them disappearing from sight.

Looking to her husband, she asked, "How long?"

"If he hasn't asked her before September First," Dan replied, "I'll do laundry duty for a month!"

Emma's smile was the perfect reward for Dan's betting joke…though he would learn that she actually took that bet and was already planning on having the dryer break down _accidentally_ for the new term.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Upstairs, in the attic room, Harry took a look around the room, taking in the sights and atmosphere that he and Hermione were to share; moving towards the wall of the attic room, Harry put a soft hand on the stone before he turned to Hermione and, glancing around the room, he asked, "What's bothering you Hermione?"

"I'm sorry," Hermione replied, watching as Harry set their trunks near the wall where he was standing: near to him was a small bookcase with extra books than the ones they had for school, as well as what looked like an oak bed-side table with a lamp and a drawer that was locked by a key.

Harry didn't need to read Hermione's mind to know that one of her rules was that he kept his business to the one he did best: minding his own.

On the opposite side of the attic room, near to the ladders that had led up from the house below, was a large oak wardrobe that actually had pictures of Harry and Hermione in several friendly occasions throughout their school life. What disheartened Harry was that these pictures also held images of the Dead Man Walking, but it wasn't long after that when Hermione removed those pictures.

A changing screen was set in the opposite corner and, as Harry slid down the wall, coming to rest on the soft, polished wooden floor, he asked, "Why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault that miserable whale of a git turned up where he wasn't wanted."

"I'm sorry that I'm scared," Hermione explained, her voice calm as she sank down onto her own bed, Harry curling one of his legs up so his arm could rest over his knee, "But when he went to attack you, I thought that you'd be hurt and then you summoned that wind to protect you and spoke with that voice. Harry, my mum always used to talk about how people react to different situations and, when I heard that voice, I was scared because it sounded…well, it sounded nothing like you."

"Then _I'm_ sorry," Harry replied, now rising from the floor; moving over to her bed, Harry sat down and, being as gentle as he usually was, he put a hand on her shoulder before speaking, "I don't ever want to scare my friends away from me: I just reacted without thinking and, given that I actually wield the other elements, I think he got off easy."

"However," he added, trying to lean around so he could see Hermione's face, "I will never be drawn to the darkest spots of my own soul: that much I can promise you, do you understand? As long as I know that you, my friends and those that I think of as an extended family are safe, then the darkness will _never_ claim me."

"Promise?" Hermione actually sounded like a girl younger than herself, but, as Harry lifted a hand to wipe away her tears, he gave her a smile that seemed to make her feel like that girl.

"I promise," he replied, rising from the bed as a knock came on the ladder that led up to the attic; releasing the latch, Hermione watched as Harry helped Dan lift the spare bed into the attic room, Harry's wind control coming in handy as he set it by the wall where he'd been sat.

As Dan straightened up, he saw Hermione wiping her eyes; like any protective Father, Dan used his voice before he used his brain as he asked, "Harry, why does my daughter look like she's been crying?"

"It's not her fault," Harry replied calmly, his eyes on Hermione as he spoke, "She was just worried for what happened in the station: I was comforting her and am glad to have her as my support. I think it was how I spoke before we left the station that upset her, but I've just made a promise that she'll never have to witness that side of me without good reason ever again."

"Oh," Dan sighed, feeling like an idiot as he knew that there was no real reason that Harry would intentionally upset Hermione: as much as he wanted to say otherwise, even Dan had been slightly worried about the mature, somewhat hungry-for-death tone that had been in Harry's voice when he'd explained that he was the kind of person that gave no second chances.

Yet, like the proverbial White Knight rescuing his maiden, Harry had turned himself around for Hermione and become that lovable little boy that Emma had taken to almost immediately;

Now all Dan needed was for Harry to say those fated words to his daughter and Emma would be forced to pay the price for her betting ways;

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Dumbledore wasn't a happy man:

It hadn't been bad enough that he had been kicked out of Hogwarts, removed from his Headmaster's position and lost the confidence in his former peers, but, when he'd tried to approach the Ministry for assistance in the matter, the first person he'd had the misfortune to meet had been Amelia Bones, the Head of the DMLE.

She'd told him, in no uncertain terms that there was nothing the Wizengamot, the ICW or the DMLE could do: after she'd been sent a letter from her niece explaining the new rules and new master of the castle, Amelia had flooed Minerva and asked if it was true.

Getting the confirmation, Amelia had asked how it had come about and her answer had told her enough as Minerva had revealed that the source of the return of the Founders was due to none other than Harry Potter.

Raised as a natural member of wizarding society and the ways of magic, Amelia knew that it would be no small feat that had summoned the souls of the Founders to Hogwarts and, when Dumbledore had demanded that she find a way to get him back inside the walls, she had told him straight: no.

If that hadn't been bad enough for Amelia, she'd then been told that Harry was among the wrong sort of company and Dumbledore had demanded that the act of emergency guardianship being made official, but, like any trained head of her department would have done, Amelia asked him on what grounds and Dumbledore had given her the wrong reason: for the Greater Good.

So, now told to leave Amelia's office, Dumbledore needed a real ace in the hole to get Harry away from the influence of the Founders and back as the naïve, malleable little Gryffindor instead of this apparently proud Slytherin…

Perhaps it was time to call in an old favour with Cornelius and the editor of the Daily Prophet…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Emma Louise Granger had always wanted to give Hermione the sort of company that she knew her daughter would enjoy being around; through acts that were beyond her control, Hermione had always been shunned because of her liking for knowledge and the way she didn't follow the crowds or jump on any bandwagons.

Add into the fact that she had been born with the messy hairstyle that Emma had known her Mother to be cursed with as well as those large teeth – which was ironic that she suffered given her parents were dentists – and Hermione had pretty much spent her childhood alone.

Then that letter from Hogwarts had come and Professor McGonagall had turned up and Hermione had gone to Hogwarts.

Her first letter home had complimented the lessons and the niceties of the teachers, but it had also admitted that Hermione was still a bit of an outcast, though there was one upside to it.

Harry Potter was at Hogwarts; the boy that Hermione had read about in her books was at Hogwarts, but he wasn't like what they said.

Emma, seeing the unspoken hints at her daughter's hopes for a friend, had waited for any more letters and, two mornings after Halloween, Hermione had written a simple message: _I've made a new friend at Hogwarts…his name is Harry Potter and he is the bravest boy I have ever met._

From then on, Emma had eagerly awaited the day that her daughter would introduce them to the infamous Mr Potter and, when Hermione had sent the letter asking if Harry could not only spend the summer with them, but come on holiday, it was like offering a red rag to a bull.

If it meant that she could finally meet him and also see what sort of effect the boy had on Hermione, then it was a definite yes from Emma; it had been Dan who'd mentioned that the two would become boyfriend and girlfriend, but Emma hadn't been that confident.

Harry was more like brother material to Hermione and, in the way he'd reacted at the station, she'd seen the warrior and brave boy that her daughter had written about and, almost immediately, Emma had known that Harry would _never_ let Hermione get put in harm's way or leave her side.

So, when Dan had spoken to her on their first night about what Harry had said in the attic bedroom, Emma had one question she had to ask herself: why was she so scared for Harry's words coming true?

One theory came to the mind of the Granger matriarch: her Father, who had served in the wars and battled forces like no child could ever understand.

Every time he had come back, he had told her stories about the pain and angst he had felt knowing that men, women and children were dying for the greed and ego of their country and their country's leaders.

He had told her that, to look in the eyes of the innocent and kill them in cold blood took a darkness that no-one should ever understand, but, to witness that pain and know you had to laugh about it took a level of emotional blackness that only a few chosen people could possess and, when you found that blackness, you could freely call yourself a warrior.

Emma now understood what her Father had meant by that, but was that why she had been so scared for Harry's words?

On one hand, she had found that warrior and seen his blackness in the tone of his voice when he'd struck without any real action or remorse; she had seen his heart and, from Hermione's letters, pictured him and read about him leaping in front of the innocent or those who he cared about to protect them, even if his life had been on the line.

That warrior's name was Harry Potter and, if it was the last thing she did, if her fears were indeed centred around that darkness that was yet to be released, then Emma was determined to make sure that Harry shed some light into that blackness as her Father had also given her a warning;

_"If you ever meet the blackness Emi, don't let it consume you as it will leave your heart as cold as death itself and love, family and respect: all these things will go out the window."_

As these thoughts passed through her mind, Emma watched as her daughter seemed to allow this brave, charming young man within the same study space as her, both of them poring over their tasks, clearly trying to get them done before the holiday to Lake Windermere, both of them either discussing or agreeing on a certain point.

Seeing them together, Emma knew one little fact: as long as Hermione was alive, safe and at his side, the darkness in Harry would only ever show its face in _extreme_ circumstances…

As Hermione's people would say, may Merlin have mercy on their souls when the ones involved in those circumstances tried anything against these two…because Harry Potter _wouldn't_ have mercy on them.

'For Harry's sake,' Emma thought, turning her back on the two students in case her emotional war showed on her face, 'I pray that day never comes: because if it was anything more than _frightening_ Hermione, I don't think Harry would ever recover.'

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

With the summer holiday slowly moving along, Harry and Hermione spent most of their time together, be it through completing their summer homework assignments or practicing several techniques that Harry had read about to focus his elemental magic, they were pretty much inseparable.

When they weren't studying, they were in town, able to just be kids: like any parents, Dan and Emma had spoken with Harry and allowed him to remove some Galleons from his Gringotts vault for the holiday and convert them to Muggle pounds.

When they went into Diagon Alley to get the necessary amount of Galleons, Hermione kept close to Harry as she tried to think about the feelings that had risen in her towards her best friend: his rage and somewhat stoic personality at times had been scary, but Hermione was talking more about the feelings that rose whenever he touched her or was sitting in arm's reach while they were studying.

It was like she was feeling complete, but all the time, Hermione had the feeling that something was missing: something she wasn't quite noticing and yet she could _feel_ was there.

What Hermione didn't know sometimes scared her, but the fact that she couldn't explain these feelings of warmth, comfort and completion whenever she was around her best friend just made things…difficult.

She didn't know whether or not she could speak to Harry about this and, if she did, Hermione didn't know if she could actually ask Harry about whether or not he felt the same way.

If only she'd possessed the skills that he did, then Hermione would have seen that Harry _did_ feel the same way: he always felt similar warmth and something in his magic seemed to make him feel like a proud warrior towards Hermione whenever she was around.

More than anyone else, including Neville and Luna, he wanted to keep her safe and hated it if he was ever the cause for her tears or her misfortune.

He knew that it had hurt her when he'd woken and not recognised her face or her identity and, though he felt like he couldn't really tell her about this, Harry did know that he felt like something had been torn from inside him both before and after the Founders had returned his memories of the brown-haired beauty at his side.

As the duo reached Gringotts, Harry suddenly gasped as a familiar figure was leaning against the pillar outside Gringotts: Rowena Ravenclaw, hidden by some sort of cloak that obscured her appearance, was smiling at them, a hand raised in welcome as she gestured them over.

Approaching her, Harry asked, "Rowena, what are you doing here?"

"Godric had a feeling that you'd be coming here before you went on holiday," Rowena explained, nodding to the door of Gringotts, "He's inside talking with your goblin manager as we speak because there are a few last-minute gifts we want to give you. Speaking of them, how is your training exercises coming along?"

"I feel like I'm getting stronger every day," Harry replied, following Rowena into Gringotts, Hermione at his side, both of them being welcomed by the goblins as well as the Founder. "The elements feel like they're getting easier to wield, but other than that, I think that it's still going to be some time before I reach my full potential."

"At least you've stopped pushing yourself," Rowena laughed, all three of them reaching the head of the halls where Godric was in deep discussion with two goblins.

One looked mildly familiar to Harry while the other looked as regal as the Headmaster of Hogwarts; dressed in fine goblin battle armour with a chain-mail cuirass embroidered with the Gringotts Crest, the goblin seemed to radiate and demand authority and respect at all times.

Seeing his Headmaster on such good terms with the goblin, Harry politely bowed his head before he addressed his mentor, "Headmaster Gryffindor, what brings you here today?"

"Hello Harry; Hermione," Godric seemed as cheerful as ever, though Harry did notice that several of the customers in Gringotts appeared to be nervous with the Founders present.

Indicating the goblins in front of him, Godric continued, "Allow me to introduce Griphook Stonefist and Ragnok Dragonfang: Griphook is the goblin that first showed you to your vaults Harry and Ragnok is the Lord of the goblins and Managing Director of Gringotts Bank."

"I am honoured to meet you Director Dragonfang," Harry replied to Godric's introduction, now bowing his head to the goblin leader before he addressed Griphook, "And I am pleased to meet with you Griphook; you'll forgive me for not recognising you as events beyond my control have changed my past and future."

"You are well met Lord Potter," Ragnok replied, his bass voice making Harry think of a rumble of thunder, "Please, do not be afraid to use my first name as you are the one who summoned Lord Gryffindor and Lady Ravenclaw back to this plane; they are my friends and allies and now, I am yours, Child of the Four."

Harry lowered his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassed sense of gratitude; as if noticing this, Godric spoke for him, "Ragnok, the business we discussed before my ward arrived: can it be done?"

"Not only can it," Ragnok answered him, his voice firm as he addressed Godric, "But it _will_ be done old friend: Lord Potter, before you and Miss Granger conduct business with Gringotts, may I have a few moments of your precious time?"

"Of course Ragnok," Harry replied calmly, his eyes still lowered as he added, "And please sir, if I have your respect and the right to call you by your name, then may I extend that courtesy to you and Griphook."

"You were right Lady Ravenclaw," Griphook growled in his low voice, "He is truly a boy of honour and has become a noble wizard indeed: more than the little boy I met two summers ago."

"Then if you will follow me Harry," Ragnok added, turning on his heel and making his way through to an office at the rear of Gringotts, "We can deal with both sets of our business here and now."

What was set to be revealed in that meeting would never be forgotten by Harry _or_ Hermione…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was."

"That was Harry's reaction as well."

"But what does this mean?"

"It means that Harry is the most influential and one of the wealthiest members of the community."

Back at the Grangers' home, Harry was sitting in near-silence, his only reaction being the _I wish I was_ comment as Hermione explained the benefits of what they'd learned.

According to Ragnok, Harry was the _true_ heir of the four Founders by blood and magic: through his Father, James, he was Godric and Rowena's direct heir by about nine or ten generations, which actually made them family.

On the other hand, he was Helga's Heir through his Mother, who it was revealed was actually a half-blood witch and daughter of a Pureblood Family of the same name as her birth name: Evans.

When this had been revealed, Harry had actually remembered it being said that Petunia Dursley was only his Mother's half-sister, but the fact that he was now officially blood-related to three of the four Founders made Harry feel like he had his family again.

However, Salazar, it seemed, was the exception as Harry was his Heir by right of magical conquest: through defeating Voldemort as a baby, the heritage of Salazar Slytherin went to Harry.

It wasn't, as people would say, because Voldemort had transferred some of his power to Harry; it was, in fact that the lineage had chosen Harry as the next heir when he'd destroyed the Dark Lord as a baby.

What this also meant was that, even more than Godric, Rowena, Helga and Salazar already could and did so, Harry actually _owned_ Hogwarts and could mould the wards and bend the rules of its magic as he wished.

Such a powerful legacy being revealed also allowed Godric, as a member of Harry's family, to emancipate Harry, thus removing the Trace and allowing him full access to every vault under his control and, according to the Founder, theirs weren't the only ones Harry could access.

For now, Godric told Harry that, with his permission, the Founder of Gryffindor would act in his stead as Harry's family relation and watch over the Lordship and rights until Harry was a few years older.

Whether or not it was because he had asked or because Harry felt like he owed the Founders something for all they'd done for him, Harry gave them the permissions and also had them named as proxies for the seats on the Wizengamot. Such a proud and noble decision earned Harry the words he had come to love hearing from his mentors and his family: _we're so proud of you Harry._

Now, back in Crawley and with a wallet full of money for the holiday, Harry was sat on one of the chairs in the living room, listening intently as Hermione explained about what they'd done and how Godric and Rowena, despite being teachers, would be keeping a close eye on Harry and his band of brothers and sisters.

Emma, noticing how quiet Harry was being, looked to her daughter as she asked, "Is something wrong with Harry about all this Hermione?"

"No," Hermione replied, moving to her best friend's side where she comforted him by putting a hand on his shoulder, the touch making both of them suddenly feel more alive than they had before, "Except…well, before we left, Harry asked something of Godric…and…he said yes."

"What did he ask?" asked Dan, watching as Harry's mood seemed to change, his eyes closing as he felt Hermione's hand on him, his cheek resting against her hand.

Looking to her parents, Hermione smiled before she told them, "He asked that, since they're family anyway, if it was all right for him to think of them…as his parents and Godric…said if Harry wanted to call him Dad and Rowena Mum…then he was more than welcome to do so."

"And he's right," Emma added, imagining a bright light shining around Harry now that he knew a few more home truths about his family, "They are your family Harry: you don't have to be alone anymore."

"I know," Harry replied, his hand on his heart, both Dan and Emma actually thinking they saw dampness in those emerald orbs, "And I also know that my real mum and dad would be proud of me; it just…it just feels so…strange."

No-one knew what to say in response to that…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

In a fairly magical castle in Scotland, on the other hand, there were two people who knew _exactly_ what to say.

After returning from Gringotts with Harry's request ringing in their ears, Godric and Rowena had both shared a drink with their fellow Founders and invited the staff before revealing the truth about their ward.

Needless to say that the most surprised about this were Minerva and Severus, both of them having known Lily Evans and James Potter and yet doing nothing to suspect anything different about their pasts.

After a while, in which several drinks were shared, Godric spoke up, "Harry asked if it was okay for him to call Rowena Mum and me Dad and we accepted it: now this doesn't mean anything. He'll still be one of our students and we'll still treat him as one, but, for certain members here – a few eyes went to Severus – I just want you to know who the one responsible for him is now."

"What about the Heads' resort?" asked Filius, stunned that his own greatest student was a direct descendant of Hufflepuff.

"It still goes ahead," Godric explained, "And, to be honest, I'm glad that Harry has the Lion's Wing as his dorm because I know that, no matter who becomes Head of either Gryffindor or Slytherin, he will _not_ abandon his friends any time soon."

"Godric," Salazar then added, inspiration striking him, "If that is to be the case, what if we assign Harry a Head of House as well and allow him Prefect-like responsibilities and duties?"

"You know as well as I do that he'll ask that Hermione joins him," Minerva put in, though her tone was unchanged, "But I happen to agree with that idea: not exactly a fifth House, but more a place where he and his friends can feel safe. If it turns out that one of the original Heads of House or the Founders are drawn as his Head, then we will have Harry and _all_ his friends represent that House. This way, he doesn't have to worry about them getting into any trouble and they have an ideal surrounding in the Lion's Wing."

"Very well," Godric agreed, "I'll add that to the agenda for the sorting on September First: however, in the event that Harry is _not_ represented by a Founder or an original Head of House, then I suggest that, sorry Sal, but I suggest he continues with his familial heritage and represent the Lion's Den."

"I actually agree with that idea Godric," Salazar remarked, the others chuckling as Salazar continued, "Gryffindor is more than Harry's family; they _are_ him in every sense and they are his heritage: he has a right to that House. Personally, I think that the powers that be chose well when they stripped Riddle of his right to my lordship and heritage."

The others just muttered in agreement…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The campsite was called White Cross Bay and, when Harry and Hermione arrived on the morning of July 31st with Dan and Emma, the two teens were actually awed at the wonder and beauty of the campsite.

It was situated on the very edge of Lake Windermere and, just by looking at it, Harry felt like he was at peace with himself, the serenity and glamour of the lake coupled with the enjoyment and family fun of the campsite.

Leaving the car outside the lodge that Dan and Emma had booked for the fortnight, Harry heaved a deep sigh, the smell of the countryside blending perfectly with the lake that was within view of the lodge.

The interior of the lodge was similar to a four or five-star hotel: fine leather sofa with a coffee table in the centre, a television mounted on the wall and stereo on a side table. Bay-like windows showed the outside world and, moving through to the bedrooms, both of the male members of the party shared a similar thought: who gets what room?

"Your Father and I will take the double bed," Emma told Hermione, Harry sighing with relief as he didn't wish to break his promise to respect Hermione's privacy, "You and Harry take the shared room, but, for modesty's sake, I think it best we initiate a knock-first rule: if there's no answer, then it's safe to enter."

"Done," Harry and Dan chorused, both of them laughing with the girls as they unpacked the provisions and things they'd brought for the holiday; stepping outside, Harry took another deep breath of the Windermere country air, feeling a sense of freedom and enjoyment on the air as he looked around the campsite.

It surprised him that Muggles actually did so well with holidays and, from the way that the site was set out, there was no real chance that Harry or Hermione would be bored too easily: towns and mountain bike trails nearby as well as what had appeared to be an Adventure Centre, amusement arcade and games area on the way in and, of course, Lake Windermere in all its glory.

'I think I'm going to like it around here,' Harry thought, returning to the inside of the lodge before he looked to Emma as he asked, "Mind if I go off and have a look around?"

"I'm coming with you," Hermione explained, moving to Harry's side, her short-sleeved top and almost knee-length shorts exposing her pale legs to the sun, her hair tied back and making her look even more glamorous as she took Harry's hand, "Come on: there's an arcade store near here so we can meet Mum and Dad there, okay?"

"Go on you two," Dan laughed, knowing already that his daughter would turn into a big kid when she went away on holiday, "Be at that café you saw in two hours Hermione."

"Yes Dad."

As Harry and Hermione left, Emma looked to Dan before she asked him, "Did…was it my imagination or did Harry say _Dad_ instead of Dan?"

"He said _Dan_," Daniel Granger replied, "You know he has a Dad now in Godric Gryffindor Emma; don't start that again: besides, let's leave those two to enjoy their holiday."

A knock at the door stopped them from saying anything more; moving to the door, Dan opened it and found a young man with dark hair looking a little shy as he asked, "Sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if Harry and Hermione were here?"

"Who are you young man?" asked Emma, a suspicious look on her face as she then saw an elderly woman escorting the young man, the woman wearing a rather comfortable outfit.

"Neville Longbottom," answered the young man, "And this is my grandmother, Lady Augusta Longbottom: I'm a friend of theirs from Gryffindor."

Dan laughed before he shook his head, an amused look on his face as he commented dryly, "_Those sneaky little devils_: come in Mrs Longbottom; you too Neville: I'm Dan and this is Emma, Hermione's parents."

Dan wasn't the only one complimenting the slyness of the two friends as the adults introduced one another, the slyness and amusement of the situation only increasing when a loud pop announced the arrival of Luna and her Father, Neville and Luna both laughing while Dan and Emma suddenly had an urge to have words with a certain teenage witch and wizard.

It was just before the two-hour deadline that Harry and Hermione actually returned, Harry carrying bottles of Coca-Cola for everyone; sending them to every member of the room, he gave his best innocent look before he asked, "Hi everyone: did we miss something?"

"Harry James Potter," Emma scolded him, though her tone was both amused _and_ a little disappointed that he'd kept this a secret from her and Dan, "Hermione Jane Granger: you two have some explaining to do."

Harry's words were almost heart-wrenching as he met Emma's eyes and, with a sigh, he shrugged and told her, "Sorry Emma: it was my idea to do this: I just wanted to spend some time with my friends and, when Hermione mentioned the lake, we saw it as a chance for four teenagers to have a fun summer while the adults have their own holiday. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we wanted it to be a surprise, especially since Neville and I actually share today as our birthday."

"You…you do?" asked Dan, Harry nodding in response while Dan looked to Neville, who seemed to share Harry's guilt.

With a sigh, it was Emma who caved as she explained, "All right: we forgive you…this time; but next time, just ask okay Harry?"

"Okay," Harry replied, looking to his other two friends as he added, "Come on you two: Hermione and I have so much to tell you."

While Neville and Luna followed Harry and Hermione out to the porch of the lodge, Luna's Father gave a chuckle before he asked, "Is it any wonder that young man became a member of Slytherin House?"

"None at all Xenophilius," Lady Longbottom replied, "James Potter would be howling with laughter if he could see his son now."

"Yes he would," a new voice replied, every head turning, Xenophilius – later addressed as Xeno – and Augusta drawing their wands on the newcomer, the fact that he'd appeared out of nowhere telling them he was magically-blooded.

The face of the man, a brown-haired man with occasional flecks of grey over a pair of light blue eyes that looked like they belonged to a man older than him, had Augusta gasping while Xeno actually smiled, the man, dressed in a Muggle t-shirt and denim jeans, his own hands showing he was unarmed, acknowledging them all as he faced Dan and Emma. "Sorry for the intrusion, but this was actually Godric's idea: give the kids a chance to meet me before next year."

"And…who are you sir?" asked Dan, looking to the outside where the kids were unaware of their guest, "And how do you know us or the kids?"

"Sorry," the man laughed, "I suppose I should introduce myself: my name is Remus John Lupin and I know Harry at least because I used to be one of his Father's best friends; I came now because, as of next year, I will be their History of Magic Professor at Hogwarts: pleasure to meet you."

**Chapter 5 and the gang are reunited, but what will Harry say when he meets Remus?**

**Also, with his honorary family now more like an actual one, can Harry have whatever passes for a normal year in the coming Hogwarts term?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Remus says hello to Harry and the kids spend their summer together; plus, a Muggle-made party for Harry and Neville give Harry a chance to speak to Dan and Remus about what he feels while Hermione does the same with Emma; and, to top it all off, the good mood is spoiled by the arrival of some unwelcome information and Harry learns a dark secret…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: Dialogue**

**I used a little bit of my dialogue from Chronicles in this chapter concerning Emma Granger and how she sees Harry's attitude and protective streak towards Hermione: given the new Harry and his attitude, it just seemed right;**

_**AN2: **_**Pairings:**

**As you can see, I've now added one more pairing to the list of eventualities and I hope you can still enjoy the story; thanks to everyone that's reviewed so far and all I'll say is that I plan on keeping you on the edge of your seats…**

_**AN3:**_** Poll**

**Okay, so with 2014 nearly at an end, it's that time again: the _last_ story of 2014 will be...well, you'll just have to go and vote on my poll and see which one wins. The winning story will be posted sometime next month, so cast your votes now...**


	6. Black and White

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**EndlessChains: That 'awkwardness' is what I'm using as the basis for the bond, so I hope you enjoy it;**

**StormyFireDragon: Then keep wriggling, Storm, because things are only going to get more and more interesting;**

**Swanprincess50: I wrote that as a meaning of saying it was Emma thinking about it; she was thinking about her Father and she is the matriarch of the family while Dan is the patriarch;**

**Daithi4377: Chronicles of Camelot, my friend: easily my greatest achievement on-site: also, I'm glad you're enjoying the story;**

**WhiteElfElder: When I say 'magical' I sometimes refer to the emotional/spiritual feeling that a place provides: I myself have been to Windermere, so I know what I mean in describing the feeling as 'magical' so I hope that helped clear things up;**

**Alix33: So do many people, I'm sure: I'd certainly have loved an attic bedroom when I was younger;**

**Lawstudent092: You **_**hate**_** my suspense, J? Then you might not like this chapter at all; ;-)**

_"Sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if Harry and Hermione were here?"_

_"Who are you young man?" asked Emma, a suspicious look on her face as she then saw an elderly woman escorting the young man, the woman wearing a rather comfortable outfit._

_"Neville Longbottom," answered the young man, "And this is my grandmother, Lady Augusta Longbottom: I'm a friend of theirs from Gryffindor."_

_Dan laughed before he shook his head, an amused look on his face as he commented dryly, "Those sneaky little devils..."_

Chapter 6: Black and White

While Remus was introducing himself to the adults inside, Harry and Hermione were talking with Neville and Luna about what they'd learned at Hogwarts and other such titbits of information that had affected their summer.

When Harry mentioned that he was the recognised Heir of the four Hogwarts Founders in blood as well as magic, the information was actually received with shock by Neville while Luna just smiled and congratulated Harry for getting his family back.

Harry, laughing at Luna's easy-going personality and her somewhat unorthodox reaction to the news, thanked her before he continued, "I promised Mum and Dad that I would ease off with my studies a little bit: I also promised the same to Hermione for the duration of this holiday. So, speaking of the holiday, where are you two staying?"

"Two lodges down," Neville explained, laughing as he told Harry, "When I mentioned that I wanted to go camping, I don't think the Muggle way is what Gran had in mind, so meeting you and Hermione's parents must have been like the proverbial penny dropping as to our plans."

"Dad and I are staying in a caravan down by the lake," Luna explained, her bright eyes shining as she explained, "When I was a little girl, Mum and Dad always actually did this to help us focus our auras and harness our true magical potential. Mum loved it when we went camping because she was a real nature-driven witch: did you know she was actually one of Europe's best Potions Mistresses?"

"Actually we didn't know that," Harry told her, smiling now as he saw that Luna was coming into her element in this environment, "But if we were to put her against, I don't know, Professor Snape for example, how different would they be?"

"Don't tell him I said this," Luna laughed, Harry liking it when Luna laughed: it showed the girl beneath the target that the Ravenclaws had tried to make of her, "But Professor Snape couldn't hold a candle to my Mum: she could develop things that others wouldn't even think about and liked to make experiments: it was just sad that one of these experiments resulted in…in…"

"Hey," Harry sighed, picking up the unspoken words; moving across the porch, he hugged Luna comfortingly as he whispered, "It's okay Luna-girl; you don't have to talk about it: I'm sorry that I asked."

When Harry released her, Luna, despite her surprise, answered him, "Don't worry Harry: I like talking about my Mum as you would if…if you could…remember things about them."

"All I really remember are snapshots," Harry explained, Hermione smiling as she saw a look of reminisce in his eyes, "Even with what Mum's powers were able to give back to me, I don't remember much about my birth parents."

"Why do you refer to Rowena and Godric as Mum and Dad anyway?" asked Neville, his confusion showing on his face as he leaned against the guard rail at the edge of the porch.

"Because they are his family," Hermione told him, "James Potter is a direct descendant of Godric and Rowena, so that makes Harry, his son, their direct descendant as well: most likely the last official son of their family's bloodline. When he learned this, he wanted a way to thank them for their acts of kindness towards him and for remaining with him and this came to mind: Godric said that they would be honoured and accepted the request."

"So what does that mean for the other two?"

"Helga is my Mother's ancestor," Harry explained, "She wasn't a Muggleborn, but a half-blood daughter of the pureblood Evans line dating all the way back to Helga Hufflepuff: however, unlike Godric and Rowena, Helga and Salazar weren't related by marriage: they were just cohorts in the Founding of the school. Salazar's actually the Founder of another ancient family, but he wouldn't say which one that was."

"And let me guess," Neville added, looking now to Harry, though a flash of movement from inside had him suspicious, "Because you defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you became Salazar's true heir by right of conquest, yes?"

"Got it in one," Harry nodded, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "How did you know that Voldemort…" he and Hermione ignored the flinch at the name, "…was the heir of Salazar before me?"

"Last year," Neville explained, shuddering slightly from hearing the name: he knew he shouldn't fear it since being around Harry was actually giving him courage, but it was just instinct. "There was a Duelling Club and you and Malfoy battled one another…"

"And he summoned a snake," Harry finished, remembering what he had seen during the memory restoration rite with Salazar at his side, "Which went slightly out of control but I spoke to it, revealing to the school that I was a Parselmouth."

"That's right," Luna nodded, her usual couldn't-care-less attitude shining through as she explained, "Though I don't know what they're so scared about: Parselmouth is almost musical in how it sounds: all those mystifying hisses and snaps commanding the beautiful scaled lords of the earth and water: with enough practice, they can also command the lords of flame and wind."

"Better known as dragons," Harry nodded, remembering Salazar's gift when he had been anointed as the Heir of the Founders in the Hospital Wing: Salazar hadn't quite said it, but it didn't take Harry long to delve into the Parsel-knowledge and learn the truth about his gift; besides, through Rowena's gift, he would be able to speak to the dragons and other such creatures anyway.

Looking back to Neville, Harry continued, "I had Salazar restore my memory of my using Parseltongue to speak to snakes and that was how I learned the how and why of what had happened to me: I remember the Duelling Club and I almost recall the isolation I was forced to feel because of the aftermath. Luna's right though Neville: there's no need to be afraid of a majestic gift such as this one; I'm actually honoured to have such a gift bestowed on me."

"I'm not saying otherwise," Neville agreed, now looking back to the lodge as he asked, "By the way, is it my imagination or do our parents have an extra visitor in there?"

Rising from his seat on the porch, Harry looked through the window and saw Remus talking with Dan, Emma, Augusta and Xeno – Luna had told him her Father's name when they'd left the room – the man looking harmless, but the fact that he had managed to turn up without anyone noticing had Harry reaching for his wand.

Seeing this, the other two were slightly confused until Hermione whispered to them, "As the Heir of the Founders, the goblin leader Ragnok Dragonfang was able to release the Trace on Harry's magic: in that moment, Godric also revealed that wand. It's not the one that Harry held at school: apparently, it's a powerful wand that is for him and him alone: Elder and Thestral tail-hair core, though Godric also explained that the power of the Founders awakened something in Harry that has transferred to the wand."

"What's that?" asked Neville, both he and Hermione noticing that Luna was actually stunned by Harry's new wand.

"Dragon fire," Hermione explained, "From an ancient dragon forged in the time when the wand was allegedly created by the forces of Light and Darkness, better known as Death itself."

"That's the legend," Luna piped up, Harry hefting the wand as if it were a sword, "The Elder Wand, one of the three legendary Deathly Hallows: to wield and awaken the Secret Core, Harry must be a direct descendant of the first owner of the wand, Antioch Peverell."

"Blimey," Neville whispered, Hermione making a mental note to look up the information on this new bloodline: Peverell; something about it just seemed so mystical and eerie that it was scary.

Harry, through all their explanations, had kept silent, the Elder Wand lifted, but hidden by his body as he didn't want any Muggles passing by and noticing something unusual.

Trace or no Trace, revealing their world to Muggles was a one-way ticket to Azkaban or a meeting with the Ministry and Harry wished to avoid both of those things.

Casting a wandless opening charm on the door, Harry slid inside, his wand now raised completely as he faced Remus, the man falling silent when he saw Harry enter with his friends behind him.

While Xeno closed the door and curtains to hide their use of magic, Harry asked calmly, "Who are you and how did you find us?"

"Don't you recognise me Harry?" asked Remus, a soft smile on his face as he looked to the son of his best friend, "Think: look into those restored memories of yours and the answer will be there."

'He knows about my memory loss,' Harry thought, keeping his wand trained on the man while he used the appearance of Remus to scan his memories: surprisingly, it was his memories as a baby that actually did it: he recalled taking his first steps and moving not to his Mummy or Daddy, but to a man with a heavily-scarred face and worn, tired eyes, the man calling him his bright little cub to which Harry had called him…

"Unca…I mean Uncle Moony?"

"There's my cub," Remus smiled, moving across the room as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Hello again Harry: my real name is Remus Lupin and, to answer the question as to how I found you, well I say that you can thank our new Headmaster for that. You see, as of September, I am going to be your new History of Magic Professor and Godric thought it a good idea that we meet beforehand. I'm really glad to see that you look so much better Harry: you still look so much like your Father…except your eyes; you have your Mother's eyes."

Lowering and storing the Elder Wand in a specially-crafted holster that had been provided for him by the goblins, Harry let Remus hold him close, a smell of wood and forest being picked up by Harry's sense of smell as he returned the warm, familiar feeling of comfort.

He couldn't _really_ remember much about his honorary Uncle, but what he did remember was that Moony/Remus was a good friend of his Father's and that he was someone who would do many things, but he would sooner walk through fire and flame before he harmed a single hair on Harry's head.

Harry was his cub…his little one…his family, which meant that Harry was also someone Remus would follow through anything and any time.

"By the way," added Remus, handing Harry a small parcel with his name written on the top, "Happy thirteenth birthday cub."

"Thanks Professor Lupin," Harry laughed, earning his hair a ruffling as Remus chuckled.

"Just Remus is fine cub," he told Harry, all of them now easing off at this sight of friendly attitude towards their young charge and friend…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

After a goodnight's sleep, in which the adults had used private expanding charms – much to Dan and Emma's surprise – to give the band of brothers and sisters a special birthday sleepover for Harry and Neville, they all gathered in the now-restored living room, a make-shift banner along one wall showing the words:_ HAPPY THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY HARRY JAMES POTTER AND NEVILLE FRANKLIN LONGBOTTOM_.

Harry and Neville, at some clear insistence from their girls, had been led to two magically-transfigured thrones and had paper crowns put on their heads, Dan mockingly bowing to his young charge for the holiday while Emma snapped off a picture and Remus just laughed.

As everyone ate breakfast, talk turned to how the boys were planning to spend their birthdays and, to everyone's surprise, it was Harry that suggested they all go swimming and then spend a day on the lake finishing with a party back at the lodge followed by _another_ sleepover.

When the others actually found themselves agreeing with that, Remus and Augusta offered to chaperone the day's events while Xeno, Dan and Emma would prepare the party and Harry, with a few flicks of the Elder Wand, managed to cast Notice-Me-Not Charms around the lodge, keying everyone inside into the charm so that any cast magic would go unnoticed by Muggles…present company excluded of course.

However, when Harry went swimming and left the boy's changing room dressed in a pair of red shorts with golden-coloured lightning bolts decorating his leg-areas, his heart stopped and, for the first time, he experienced the teen sensation of hormones.

Hermione had just left the girls' changing room with Luna in tow, but Hermione, in Harry's opinion, looked beautiful: she was dressed in a well-fitting lavender blue bathing costume that exposed her slowly-forming breasts and her lean, slightly tanned legs.

Like all swimmers, Hermione had showered before going in the pool and the impact of the water against her hair had left her with a slick, flowing brown-haired pony-tail that covered her shoulders.

"Harry?" asked Neville, distracting Harry's attention, but only for a second as Harry turned on his heel and dashed back into the changing room, his heart racing and his breath quick and almost hyperventilating.

It was only when Neville looked back to Hermione, who was watching the spot where her best friend had been standing worriedly that the Longbottom Heir clicked.

Shaking his head, he turned and, looking to the observation level, called, "Remus: I think Harry needs to have a word with you."

Rising from his seat, Remus, dressed in a comfortable t-shirt and knee-length shorts with trainers covering his feet, nodded to Neville and, excusing himself from Augusta's side, moved down to the changing room where he found one of the stalls locked, Harry's breathing coming from the other side.

With a sad smile, as he could wager what was going on with his cub, Remus asked, "Harry, why did you come back in? Everyone's waiting for you out there."

"R-R-R-Remus," Harry gasped, his voice wavering slightly as he asked, "Is…is something wrong…with me?"

"How do you mean?" asked Remus, subtly drawing his own wand and unlocking the door to the stall; he saw Harry, sat with his head between his knees, looking like he was going to be sick.

Closing the door, Remus asked, "What happened?"

"I…I don't know," Harry answered, "I just…I saw Hermione and…I don't know what…what happened: I felt…I couldn't breathe and my heart…it seemed to stop."

"And the world seemed to go quiet and dark with Hermione being the only light?" asked Remus: he should have guessed.

"Y-Yes," Harry nodded, looking to his honorary uncle as he asked, "What's…what happening Remus?"

"Nothing that isn't normal," Remus replied, shifting Harry along the bench in the stall and casting several privacy wards as he added, "You're just starting to experience something all teenagers do…"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

It was nearly twenty minutes later that Hermione, sat on the edge of the pool, her legs kicking at the water while Neville and Luna played around in the water, let out a sigh of worry, her hand on her own heart as she waited for Harry.

This wouldn't be the same without him: it _was_ to celebrate his birthday after all; why had he run like that when he'd seen her?

If this were some kind of cartoon, he would have either left a dusty representative of himself or Hermione would have seen mimicry of a cardboard cut-out pattern shaped like Harry to indicate that he wasn't there anymore.

But this was real and Harry was running just by looking at her: she had to admit that, when she'd seen his pale chest and the way that his own pre-swimming-washed hair just stuck up like it had been hit by a lightning strike, Hermione had actually felt her heart stop.

'Oh Gods,' she thought, a theory coming to mind: she was fourteen in September, which meant she'd already been told about how teenagers reacted to certain members of the opposite gender, 'Was…was Harry's body…his hormones _reacting_ to…to me?'

She didn't deny that she'd felt something for the son of the Founders when he'd sought comfort from her in the moments before his memories had been restored to him and indeed afterwards, something about Harry had just…just drawn Hermione to him: once again, she wondered if it could be a bond and yet she hadn't asked about it.

Hermione felt her own heart stop when she'd seen Harry in his shorts and his pale, somewhat athletically-strong chest, his emerald eyes sparkling like the water as he'd stared at her.

Had Harry felt the same thing when he'd seen her in her, she had to admit it, rather lovely-looking bathing suit?

"Hermione?"

Hermione practically jumped ten feet into the air, falling into the water with a splash; seconds later, a male figure leaped in beside her, scooping her out of the water and returning her to the edge of the pool.

Sputtering and rubbing the water from her eyes, Hermione peered through her blurred vision, but she didn't need to clear her eyes to recognise those emerald gems looking back at her.

"Sorry," Harry told her, his arms resting on the side of the pool, "I think…I think we need to have words…with Dan and Emma afterwards."

"Oh my god," Hermione whispered, leaning down while Harry raised himself out of the pool, joining her on the side, "You mean you…you did feel…"

"Remus explained it all," Harry told her, his eyes filled with sincerity as he rested his forehead against hers, "I vowed that I wouldn't do anything until you felt comfortable, but I can't deny my heart any longer: it hurts me when you're away and when you're close, I feel like the darkness in me is gone. Hermione, if what Remus told me is true, then…Hermione, I…I think I'm falling in love with you."

Hermione was stunned: Harry Potter, the young man who'd faced Cerberus, trolls, giant spiders and Voldemort himself was afraid and nervous when admitting his feelings?

'He's such a boy!' she thought, looking now to those emerald eyes as she returned his words, "Well…that's good Harry because, now that I think about it, I think I'm falling in love with you too: we'll speak to Mum and Dad back at the lodge, but for now: how about a race?"

"You're on," Harry laughed, both of them returning to the water where they proceeded to enjoy the remainder of their time in the pool, Neville and Luna joining in their games before, as lunchtime rolled around, worn out, happy, but hungry, all four of them showered, changed and moved back to the lodge.

Harry and Hermione's hands never left each other's grip all the way back…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"Well it's about time!"

The laugh that spread around the party room that had been magically-forged from the Grangers' lodge living room had everyone's spirits lifting as Harry and Hermione, sat side-by-side with Harry and Neville back in their makeshift thrones, kept hold of one another's hands, Dan and Emma smiling with delight at Harry's news.

"You mean you don't mind?" asked Harry, looking to Dan, who had been the one to exclaim the words, before Emma had cuffed him upside the head, "But if you knew, then why…"

"Why did we let you share rooms?" asked Emma, smiling at the light and raw positive emotion that was in that room at the moment could have lit up all of London and Red Square, Moscow. "Because we wanted you two to feel comfortable with each other and your Father and I wanted to see if our theories were true."

"And they are," Dan laughed, Remus now chuckling as he saw a look of delight on his face.

"You and Emma made a bet didn't you?" he asked, the others laughing when Dan, with a sheepish nod, admitted his crime.

"How did you know?" asked Hermione.

"Because Harry's Mum and Dad became partnered around the same age as you two," Remus explained, his eyes filled with their own light as memories hit him, "They were at the end of their seventh year when James proposed to Lily, but Sir…I mean a friend of ours had a bet with me as to when James would admit his feelings.

"That's how I know how you felt cub," he added to Harry, "Because how I described it when I asked you was exactly how James described Lily when he saw her and realised he was in love with her. If you don't mind Harry, in their stead, I think it's safe to say that I would be proud to give you two my blessing for when the time comes."

"Ditto," Dan agreed, looking now to Remus as he asked, "But wouldn't that also involve telling the Founders about this?"

"If Rowena Ravenclaw didn't see this coming," laughed Augusta, "Then I'm a Squib: she and Godric _are_ Harry's ancestors by about ten generations and, as a friend of the Potter Family, I am honoured to watch this young man become the warrior and hero he is inside."

"Thank you Lady Longbottom," Harry replied, lowering his eyes slightly as he saw Neville clasp his shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

"Call me Grams," she told him, "Or Augusta: the title of Lady Longbottom actually belongs to my daughter-in-law and the Lordship belongs to my Neville when he chooses to accept it."

Neville actually seemed slightly downhearted by this information, but Harry kept his spirits up as he then asked, "So, now that what you all saw before us has come true, what does this mean for…well for…us?"

"Well," Remus explained, recalling their talks from the night before, "Because you've had the Trace removed and are _legally_ classed as an adult, you have the right to take Hermione as more than your girlfriend: with the permission of the Patriarchs of your families, you can take Hermione as your betrothed and she can claim the Lady Potter's title and ring."

Dan gave Hermione a look that seemed to say so much more than words could with how proud he was feeling before Remus continued, "With that, Hermione will also likely become the owner of the Evans Family Ladyship because of how Lily was the last one to claim it and how the family dates back to Lady Helga Hufflepuff. You, Harry, would still hold the Potter, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin titles because of your heritage rights, but the other two would become hers."

"However," Dan seemed fit to remind him, not noticing the dangerous looks in Emma's eyes as he spoke, "You still need her Father's permission and…"

Here he _did_ notice his wife's gaze and, with a sigh, he continued, "Because of the vow you made to me Harry Potter, I, Daniel Granger, would be honoured to give you my permission and blessing to name my daughter as your betrothed."

"Dad!" Hermione actually seemed to fly from Harry's side, her arms wrapping around her Father and hugging him tight; with a soft smile, Harry looked to Remus, who nodded before Harry put his plan into action.

"Dobby!"

With his signature pop, the House Elf appeared and, bowing to Harry, he asked, "You summoned me Harry?"

"Go to Hogwarts," Harry explained, "And bring Godric and Rowena here would you? Also, if they wish to come, invite any of the others with them as well."

"Yes Harry," with another pop, Dobby left, leaving Harry to shrug at Remus' incredulous look.

"If Hermione needs her Father's permission, I think it only fair that my Dad gives me his blessing as well."

Seconds later, several pops announced the arrival of not only Godric and Rowena, but Helga, Salazar, Minerva and, to Harry's surprise, Severus, Filius and Pomona, the Hogwarts faculty all looking around before Minerva gasped, "Remus Lupin: is that you?"

"Hello Minerva," Remus laughed, "I still say my thesis on the Animagus Transformation deserved to be classed as the highest possible standards and sent to the University of Salem for analysis."

"It's him," laughed Filius, though even Harry could sense the emotions in the room darkening as Severus and Remus locked gazes, both of them moving towards one another.

Harry didn't know why, but his mind was suddenly giving this scene a Wild West shootout soundtrack.

"Severus," Remus muttered, his eyes boring into the skull of the Potions Master.

"Lupin," Severus replied, looking to Harry before he looked back to Remus.

"You've changed."

"So have you."

"In more ways than one," Remus explained, stepping back before he extended his hand and, looking to Harry, gave a smile as he explained, "Harry told me how he willingly volunteered for your House and trusts you to help train him: so, what do you say Snape? Let's leave the past where it belongs: wipe the slate clean?"

Severus extended his own hand and shook Remus' hand, his voice speaking to the man as he explained, "You were one I never had trouble with, but, for Harry's sake, I will let sleeping dogs lie: however, if I ever see said dog again, you will need a powerful shielding ward as you know that there will be spell fire being sent."

"I gathered," Remus laughed, Minerva and Filius releasing their holds on wands that had been close to being drawn when the two had faced one another.

Harry, seeing the confrontation, asked, "What's with them?"

"It's a long story," Godric laughed, looking now to Harry as he asked, "But never mind that: you wanted to see us, son?"

"Yes Dad," Harry replied, his emotions lifting again as he heard the s-word from Godric, "Remus here had a rather _interesting_ talk with me earlier and I have realised that I am in love with Hermione…no, I _love_ her with all my heart."

"I know," Godric smiled, nodding for Harry to continue.

"You do?" he asked, rather surprised at the confession, but continued nonetheless, "Anyway: Remus suggested that I could take Hermione as my betrothed given that I am now a legal adult in the wizarding world and, as per the rules and traditions, I needed my Patriarch's permission to take her as my betrothed and vice-versa."

"Then I give you my permission little cub," Godric beamed, putting his own arms around Harry in a warm hug of affectionate love and familial compassion.

While Harry felt like he could actually fly out of his seat on the delight he felt, Godric continued as he told his ward, "I have known ever since I first set eyes on you two that the hands of fate wished you to be together. You have my blessing, Harry and you, Hermione, have my permission to become known as the betrothed to Lord Harry Potter."

"Thank you Godric," Hermione smiled, Harry now taking her hand once more, neither of them noticing the look being shared by the Founders before it was Salazar who spoke.

"If you two are going to be betrothed, then I think it only fair that you kiss her Harry," the Founder of Slytherin actually smiled as he saw the look of apprehension in the eyes of his ward, but Hermione, holding Harry's cheek in her hand, smiled at him.

"You may want to strap yourselves down," Godric whispered to the other adults, Rowena, Salazar and Helga helping to prepare them for what came next.

"You heard him," Hermione whispered to Harry, "I think, as my boyfriend and betrothed, you more than qualify for the right to kiss me."

"I'll make it a good one," Harry replied, taking Hermione's cheek and, like there was no-one else in the room that mattered, he pulled her towards him, Hermione doing the same.

"You'd better."

When their lips met, a powerful wind started to blow around them, a crack of thunder resounding overhead that, thanks to the wards around the lodge, kept Muggles out of the loop as they'd put it off as nothing more than a sonic boom.

Harry and Hermione's bodies both started to glow with white light that enveloped them like the wings of some gigantic bird, the white light only matched by a golden stream of magic that seemed to start in Harry's chest and, with the speed and strength of a lightning flash, it bolted across to Hermione before returning to Harry, the magic of that one kiss making the windows tremble, the floor shake, the plates and cups from the party shatter and, for a moment, it actually looked like Harry was glowing with golden fire, the same fire being passed to Hermione.

At the side, their restraints keeping them from harm, Remus asked, "By Merlin: Lord Gryffindor: am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

"Yes," Godric replied, his eyes filled with pride as he watched his honorary and familial son glowing with even greater magic, "A soul bond: it was sealed within Harry before his accident, but the others and I recognised it for what it was. We wondered when the bond would officially awaken and, from the reactions these two gave one another over the end of the year, it was taking root."

"Oh," he then added, now summoning shield charms around them all as he explained, "And whatever you do: don't move!"

"Why?" asked Emma, her eyes wide as, even though she was Muggle, she could see the magic and the power radiating from her daughter and her new son-in-law.

Her answer came as the two finally separated from their kiss, but, before they could say anything, their magic literally _exploded_ outwards, flooding the room with strength and power that had Dan and Emma awed as the windows now officially shattered, Rowena quickly throwing glamour charms around them to make it look normal.

The rattling and the backlash from the magic seemed to swirl around the lodge, its energy radiating through each and every one of them, both wizard and Muggle alike and, in the midst of this maelstrom of magic, each member of the adults heard two soft voices whispering to one another, the owners of those voices blacking out afterwards;

"My Harry."

"My Hermione."

"_My God_," Dan whispered, watching as both of the children fell to the floor, the Founders safely moving them to the room where they'd slept, closing and locking the door before Godric turned back to Dan who asked, "What the hell did we just see?"

"A rebirth," Godric explained, "Of something that should have been forged three years beforehand: in a nutshell Mr Granger, what you just witnessed was the soul bond being forged between Harry James Gryffindor-Potter and Hermione Jane Gryffindor-Potter, the new Lord and Lady of Hogwarts and the new children of the Founders."

Dan was thunderstruck, but Emma, always the calm one of the two in situations such as these – not that these situations came about all that often – asked Godric, "Start at the beginning Headmaster: tell us everything you can."

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The first thing that Harry saw when he opened his eyes was a very beautiful and very familiar head of brown hair, a soft arm wrapped around his waist, the tips of said brown hair tickling his ear as he was held in said arm's embrace.

The arm, the hair and the beautiful face all belonged to the same person: Hermione Granger, his betrothed and the one girl he would do anything for whenever she asked.

'Only Hermione Granger could make me feel like I've been trampled by a nest of dragons,' Harry thought, Hermione smiling in her almost sleep-induced state, before her voice whispered to him.

"Well only you could make me feel like I've been plugged into the eye of a storm," Hermione's voice was as soft as ever, but as she opened her eyes and looked into the green eyes of her beloved, she whispered, "Wait…Harry; you didn't _say_ that, did you?"

"No," Harry replied, "I…I thought it: Hermione, what happened to us?"

"You kissed me," Hermione replied, stroking a lock of Harry's black hair away from his fringe, "And I felt…so alive: who knew my Harry was such a good kisser?"

"Get used to it," Harry smiled, now placing a softer kiss on Hermione's lips, though this time, there was no light or feeling of being trampled by dragons: instead, it was just warmth and light, "But…Hermione, how could you know what I was thinking?"

"I…I don't…don't know," Hermione replied, both of them slowly sitting up, Harry partially wondering how long they'd been out of it as he held Hermione in his arms, one of his hands moving through her hair as he held onto her.

Looking to the door, Harry asked a different question, "How did we get into your parents room?"

"Godric must have brought us here," Hermione realised, her worries and questions being soothed by the soft water-like touch of her betrothed as he held onto her, "I wonder if they're still here."

"I'll take a look," Harry told her, flicking his wrist at the door: with a click, the door unlocked, revealing the room beyond and, as Harry had hoped, his friends and family were indeed standing on the other side, Godric smiling proudly as he, Rowena, Dan, Emma and Remus moved into their room, the Headmaster of the school checking the room for any further damage.

Inclining his head, Harry asked, "Mum, Dad: what happened and why did you put us in Dan and Emma's room?"

"You're not in our room Harry," Dan explained, his voice laced with a sense of awe as he sat on the end of the bed, "You're in your room: on a double bed because of Godric and Rowena putting your bed together."

"As for what happened," Rowena explained, her voice filled with pride as she looked to her two familial chicks, "You and Hermione were always meant to be together Harry: your kiss, which was slyly indicated thanks to Salazar, created a soul bond between you two."

"No way!" Hermione exclaimed, Harry looking to her with a sense of worry: what was so scary about being bonded to him?

Didn't she love him as much as she thought she did?

Once again, Hermione seemed to pick up on those thoughts and, though her parents and Harry's named parents were in the room, she grabbed him and kissed him for all he was worth.

For a long time, no-one said anything, but Godric seemed to understand his honorary son's thoughts while Hermione, upon parting from the kiss, looked deep into Harry's green eyes, her voice cutting into him as she told him, "Don't even think that Harry: I am happy that you're the one I'm bonded to and not someone who wants me for my knowledge. I was just surprised because a soul bond, a real and true soul bond is as rare to the world as an endangered animal is to the natural world: this also explains how we know what the other's thinking: because a soul bond unites us in mind, body, soul and magic."

"Hermione's right, Harry," Godric continued for Hermione, Harry now the one in awe as the Lion's Alpha Male continued, "When you kissed, it unlocked the last of the barriers around your magic and made you as complete with Hermione as you would have been had your bond flourished over all those times you spent together before."

While Harry let Hermione hold him as he listened to Godric, he also felt a sense of awe and purpose rise in him as he considered what his best friend, his _girlfriend_, meant to him.

Seeing Harry return to his comfort zone – also known as the presence of Hermione Granger – Godric smiled as he explained, "You may notice that your wandless magic is stronger and, similarly, Hermione now shares your skills and your traits: she has the gifts we gave to you and, if I'm right, then it's possible that the power of the elements has divided between you. What this means is that you two are now, officially, the most powerful witch and wizard couple in Hogwarts, but, as before Harry, you will need to learn to tame these powers and your magic."

"You hear her thoughts," Rowena explained, Harry starting to understand what was being said as he held Hermione: she had been all that mattered before and now he understood why.

As she saw the understanding dawn on him, Rowena continued, "Because your bond is affected through thought, emotion, magical strength and a sense of unity: you will know what the other is thinking and be able to communicate with your thoughts; even though you may be apart, you will also be able to feel the emotions of the other and, compared to the strength you have as an individual, when you combine your potentials, you'll be able to harness some incredible, but possibly dangerous power levels."

"Another good thing about the bond," Godric continued, "Is that you will also be unable to be swayed from one another, which, given what we've seen happen already, may be considered a good thing. Now, while you've been out of it, we've been talking with some trusted friends and the record of your bond has been made with the Ministry: Hermione, for you, this means you're now officially an adult and able to use magic."

Hermione already knew that as a side-effect, but right now, she was content being with the one she loved.

Godric, meanwhile, addressed his son as he added, "Harry, for you, this means you will be able to have a voice in the Wizengamot and have officially become Lord of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Potter and Peverell's fortunes while Hermione has become the Lady of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Evans and Peverell as well."

'There's that name again,' Hermione thought, Harry mentally agreeing with her, though he was confused as to her meaning.

"As you requested once before," Godric explained, "We've had Ragnok mark down each of the Founders as proxies for those seats, so you and Hermione only have to worry about the Potter and Evans seats: also, if you wish, Salazar has offered to become registered as your new magical guardian and the Overseer of your fortunes in Gringotts."

"Please do so," Harry nodded, not really liking the thought of someone like Dumbledore getting his hands on any of that fortune; keeping his hand in Hermione's, Harry then asked, "Dad, what about you and Mum? Won't this mean that you're not Lord and Lady Gryffindor and Ravenclaw anymore?"

"Not exactly," Rowena continued, "Godric and I shall be known as Lord and Lady Regent: it's similar to the Dowager position held by Augusta Longbottom: as your _loco parentis_ and proxies for the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seats on the Wizengamot, we'd still hold the prestige and respect that comes with those titles: the official Lord Gryffindor is you Harry while Hermione is the official Lady Ravenclaw."

"Now on one other point," Godric explained, "Despite your adult status, we would like you both to continue attending Hogwarts, not only because the school is your official citadel and home if you wish it, but also because, as staff and as your guardians, we can keep you safe from people like Dumbledore. You don't have to hide your betrothed status, but, once you turn sixteen, there's nothing we can do and you will be free to leave and also marry under magical law."

"Good thing that's a few years away then," Harry laughed, Hermione chuckling with him as he added, "But seriously, I'm grateful for everything you've done Dad: don't worry, I don't have any plans to leave my education any time soon."

"Glad to hear it," Godric smiled proudly, before he cleared his throat as he added, "Now for a little bit of bad news: while you were out of it, as you've been unconscious for a week now, Remus went to check for any news of people that may pose a threat and…well, you should take a look."

He dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet onto the bed and, as Harry unfurled it, he saw an image that struck his memories straight away:

A haggard-looking man with dark eyes and even darker hair that formed wild, scraggly black hair and a beard underneath a raging-expression of a mouth: the image didn't really do Harry's memories justice as, right now, the man looked more furious and deranged than loving and supportive.

Over this picture was a headline:

_MASS MURDERER ESCAPES AZKABAN!_

"Sirius Black," Harry whispered, his eyes darkening as he started to read through the article, "Padfoot: another of Dad's best friends like you Moony."

"Your memories must be helping you recognise him," Rowena realised, her voice calm as she told him, "Harry, what you're about to read: please don't get angry."

"Why would he…" Hermione began, but she was cut off as Harry read the information, his voice hardening into the same tone she had heard at King's Cross Station;

"…Black was imprisoned after killing 12 Muggles, as well as honoured wizard Peter Pettigrew after betraying the late Lily and James Potter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, thus causing their deaths on Halloween night 12 years ago, leaving Harry Potter an orphan…"

The Daily Prophet burst into flames with Harry's last words, his eyes filled with emerald fire that burned with a notion of one emotion:

Revenge!

"Sirius Black betrayed my parents," he whispered, his voice cold as he hissed, "They suspect he's coming after me!"

Hermione quickly found her hands stroking her betrothed's dark hair, but it did little to alleviate Harry's rage as he hissed, "I hope he finds me!"

"Harry!" exclaimed Remus, Emma, Rowena and Minerva all echoing his shock as he added, "Don't go looking for Black: you're not strong enough for this."

"I will be," Harry promised, the crackle of his magic in the air seemingly emphasising his point as he told them, "When he does, I'm going to be ready: and when he does…I'm going to _kill_ him!"

Dark days had suddenly returned to the life of the Son of the Founders…and unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do to tame this storm.

**Chapter 6 and Harry has learned the truth, but can he discover the true truth or will he actually make good on his promise?**

**Also, with the bond official and Harry and Hermione now a couple, what lies ahead for the Golden Duo as they return to school?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Godric and Harry are summoned to the Ministry as a certain someone tries to make things worse at Hogwarts; also, Harry seeks confirmation and Remus has a suggestion on who to talk to while, at long last, the gang return to Hogwarts where an old acquaintance of Harry's wishes to talk about the changed Son of Hogwarts…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: Sirius**

**Yeah, so I kept the canon reactions because, as my readers should know by now, it is my **_**favourite**_** line from the PoA movie and indeed one of my favourite 'Harry' quotes; don't worry, though, because the truth **_**will**_** come out and Sirius **_**will**_** be free in this story;**

_**AN2: **_**Poll:**

**Also, with the end of the year approaching, I've put a poll on my profile to ask about the Dark story that we go out with; so, if you haven't done so already, then go and cast your votes now;**


	7. The Master Returns

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**EndlessChains; Hm, I **_**might**_** just go ahead with that and have some fun with what comes out of it;**

**WhiteElfElder: Yeah, but he has those who help him tame that anger when it helps;**

**Daithi4377: Well it's a true soul bond that should have been recognised from the first time they met; then Harry's blocks are removed, meaning they both acknowledge their true powers, so…yeah, a **_**tad**_** powerful indeed;**

**StormyFireDragon: Unfortunately, Storm: as any good FFN fan knows, the senile old fool doesn't know when to quit and with what I have planned, it may just cost him more than he can afford;**

**Lawstudent092: Yeah sorry about that little mistake; also, the 'hints' aren't actually intentional as, before this chapter, it was all stuff written before I'd even known your story and your profile existed;**

**ALSO: For those who've enjoyed the story so far and any that remember the story from its old time, let me just say that everything you see now is new stuff;**

_"My Harry."_

_"My Hermione."_

_"My God,"_

Chapter 7: The Master Returns

Over the summer, there was very little said on the topic of Sirius Black and his escape from Azkaban;

This advice came from Godric, who had told the other members of Harry's little gang that his honorary child was still coming to terms with his incredible powers and, while he didn't actually _believe_ that Harry would kill anyone, he didn't know what Harry would do now that he had heard about his parents' deaths again.

As a precaution, Rowena and Salazar soon became frequent visitors to the Grangers' house in Crawley, which now had so many wards and magical protections surrounding it that Hermione soon compared it to _a magical fusion of Alcatraz and Fort Knox_. Their visits, while welcome on the part of teaching Harry and Hermione more about their bond, also became a little strained on the duo as Hermione could feel Harry's desire to know more.

He wanted to be just as ready as he had promised he was going to be when he met Sirius Black and did what was necessary to avenge his parents.

Still, in between lessons on their bonds and, in Hermione's case, lessons on how she would inherit a portion of Harry's power now that their bond had been recognised, Salazar also took the time to speak to Harry about the art of deep meditation and, through them, the arts of Legilimency and Occlumency, using both of them to shield his emotions and his mind.

By the end of the summer holidays, the Golden Couple were showing the experiences of their lessons: Harry had not only officially mastered two of his elements – Fire and Storm – and was already starting to look into the Etheral Arts, skills that Salazar explained could be used in synch with the element of Light itself.

As for Hermione, she had started to master her own element, the element of Air, and was on her way to learning about the element of Water, which only seemed to be appropriate as she was Harry's equal and opposite both with the bond and with their powers.

In time, the skills of the two young magic users became equal on the scale of wandless magic while Godric told Harry that, come the New Year's term, he would start to teach his son about using his sword while Hermione would learn from Rowena how to use other weapons to back Harry up if the need arose.

The final thing, and the biggest success for Harry, was when he and Hermione finished their holiday in Windermere by discovering their Animagus forms, though Helga was the one to remind Harry that, in time, he'd be able to shift into virtually any animal.

For their first ones, however, Harry discovered his form to be a beautiful, but deadly-looking white wolf while Hermione discovered hers to be an equally-beautiful, but mysterious-looking black-winged falcon, the tips of her wings lined with silver feathers that shone like magic. Suspecting that the bond had something to do with her unusual form, Godric and Helga looked into it and, when they next visited, they told her that her bond with Harry meant that each of Hermione's forms would have a magical alteration to their DNA, giving her a unique ability that was individual to each animal.

Here, Helga told Hermione that she would teach her about the Bestial Arts – as she called them – while Harry was learning his Warrior's Arts with Godric.

Outside of their discoveries and their lessons with the Founders, Harry and Hermione also started to grow closer as betrothed teens and as friends: though Harry's memories showed very little signs of returning to their full amount, he didn't let it stop him knowing and loving his girl. His promise to Dan that he would protect her to the ends of the earth seemed to fuel his desire to become stronger.

Harry wasn't going to let _anything_ take Hermione from him again, no-one could argue _that_ no matter how hard they tried.

As for the rest of their group, they were soon just as frequent visitors to the house as the Founders themselves: over time, Harry learned of Neville's lack of confidence in some lessons and, with help from Hermione and the Grangers, he managed to help his friend get over his nerves, which also involved a trip into Diagon Alley to get Neville a new wand: Elm and the _very_ rare tears of a wood nymph, 12-and-a-half inches long.

As for Luna, who was a year behind the others, but didn't seem to let that stop her, she seemed to be the same sort of calming influence on Harry that Hermione was, though without the bonded effect. Whenever he grew stressed or wouldn't heed the advice of others to calm down and slow down his studies, Luna would step in or call over and, miraculously, all she'd have to do was take his head in her hands, lie it down on his bed and, with a soft, melodious humming, she soon had him calm and even sleeping peacefully.

It was during one of these occasions that Hermione began to realise just how family-like their little group was becoming: Neville and Luna were like honorary siblings to Harry, though at the same time, each one of them mirrored the Founders themselves.

Neville, with his courage and hidden side of loyalty and friendship, was the Godric-incarnation of the group.

Luna, with her devotion to the leader of their group and her way of seeing the world as more than just black and white, was the Helga of the group.

Naturally, Hermione was the Rowena with her brains and sense of care for Harry.

And, of course, finally and ultimately, Harry himself was the Salazar of the group: yes, he had a dark side, but he was cunning and managed to find ways to do things that normal witches and wizards would deem impossible.

So it was that the four soon became inseperable, each one helping another and each one working together for the sole purpose of fun, competition and, of course, their friendship.

However, in the last week of the holidays, the calm and serenity of the moment was interrupted with a visit from Godric…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

As always, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Founder of Gryffindor appeared through the specially-protected Floo Gate that was attached to the Granger Household and, when he stepped out, his expression was thunderous.

"Godric!" exclaimed Emma, still surprised by the magical act, though not as surprised to see the Founder there, "Is everything all right?"

"Unfortunately not, Lady Granger," replied Godric, his tone edged by a hint of discontent as he asked, "Where's Harry?"

"He…he's upstairs with Hermione and the kids," answered Emma shakily: in all her experiences with the man in front of her, she'd never _ever_ seen him as close to angry as he was now. "Dan's gone to town to deal with an emergency at the surgery and Xeno is coming by later with…with Remus to help the kids get ready for Saturday."

"Can you…" Godric began, but the words were no sooner out of his mouth before Harry suddenly appeared through the door, his eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and concern as he saw his ancestor standing there.

"Father," Harry remarked, giving Godric an honorary bow as he seemed to do ever since the Windermere incident, "Is everything all right? We heard Emma's cry and then…"

"I need you to get your best robes and be ready in a few minutes, son," Godric told him, his voice edged by determination as he explained, "We're needed at the Ministry."

"How come?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore," Godric answered.

Harry vanished up the stairs so quickly that Hermione was almost certain that he could have Apparated up the stairs.

Returning to the lounge dressed in his best robes, which now held a double of the Hogwarts Crest on his lapel with a wand and a sword crossed over the shield, a serpentine golden dragon coiled around the base of the shield, Harry asked, "Are we all needed?"

"I am as Headmaster," replied Godric, his voice edged by the same rage and determination as before, "But as Master of the School and Heir of the Four, you're needed to enforce the will. Harry…"

Here, he dropped down before he placed his hands on his son's shoulders, his voice low and edged by concern as he told his son, "I've done everything I can to protect you and your friends from him, you know this. So please, when we get there, promise me that you'll keep calm and, unless I give you a sign saying otherwise, please only speak if you're addressed."

"I promise, Dad," replied Harry, though Godric could see both the Elder Wand and his sword held by his son in readiness for whatever was coming next.

Rising up, Godric re-activated the Floo before he added, "Then…let's go: don't worry, Hermione: we should be back before dinner."

As Harry went to follow, he smiled softly as he felt Hermione's mind brush against his, her voice filled with her emotions as she told him, '_Be careful._'

'You_ be careful,_' replied Harry, smiling warmly as he stepped into the Floo Gate before he disappeared in a blaze of green flames.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

When Harry and Godric stepped out of the Gate, Harry was a _little_ surprised to find that he and his adoptive Father were standing not in a main entranceway, but in a large, plush office with a shield hanging over the head of the chamber, a letter M framed in a golden outline. In a seat beneath the shield, Harry saw a portly-looking man in a lime-green tuxedo and bowler hat sat behind a table while, on Godric's other side, there was a brown-haired woman with piercing blue eyes and a stern, but fair personality about her.

"Ah," exclaimed the portly man, his voice edged by false pride as he remarked, "Lord Gryffindor, Harry: welcome…now, I don't suppose you know me, so allow me to introduce myself."

"You are Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic in the Second Great and Magical Britannian Community otherwise known as the Ministry of Magic," replied Harry, stunning the woman and Mr Fudge with his knowledge, but then again, when you were learning magical history from Rowena Ravenclaw herself, it wasn't easy to forget these things.

"Y-Yes, well…onto business," Fudge replied, his voice edged by shock and a hint of disapproval as he heard the full title of the community: a title that had not been heard in nearly four hundred years, he might add. "I…I asked you here on the request of another…"

"Dumbledore," Harry cut in, earning a warning look from Godric, but Harry wasn't giving into _advice_ this easily.

"That's right," Fudge replied, his eyes on Harry as he added, "And Harry, if it's not too much trouble, I _was_ addressing Lord Gryffindor…"

"And _Lord Gryffindor_ answered, Cornelius," Godric told him, his green eyes blazing with fury as he explained, "As did Lord Slytherin, Lord Potter and Lord Evans: now, I _know_ that the old man has been trying to call in favours and grease palms to return to Hogwarts, but I'll make it perfectly clear. I will only allow him back _if_ he gives an Unbreakable Vow to be nowhere near Harry or any other student save for lessons and even then, he will be supervised by one of my colleagues or myself at _all_ times."

"But…" Fudge began, but at that moment, the door opened and Dumbledore walked in: as soon as he saw him, Harry's hand went to his wand, but Godric stopped him as he faced the old man.

"Godric," beamed Dumbledore proudly, "You got the summons then?"

"I did," answered Godric, "And my answer remains the same, Albus: _no_, I will not allow those freaks of nature _anywhere_ near my citadel no matter the dangers presented. I would not care to put the souls of innocent witches and wizards in jeopardy because the Dementors cannot control their thirsts."

"Dementors?" asked Harry.

"Yes," replied Godric, "Guards of Azkaban Prison: that's why we're here, Harry. _Someone_ made a suggestion to Minister Fudge here to have Dementors stationed at the boundary of Hogwarts due to…to You-Know-Who's escape."

"Sirius Black, Harry," Dumbledore explained, but his words were soon cut off as a bolt of lightning _narrowly_ missed his freakishly-long beard.

"How…how did he do that?" asked the woman, her voice filled more with awe than shock as she added, "Was that Accidental Magic, Headmaster?"

"No, dear Madame Bones," replied Godric, the name striking a chord with Harry as he explained, "My ward here has been given magical gifts courtesy of my colleagues and I and, one of those gifts was a control and ability to use the elemental forces. However, whenever his emotions spike, Harry has an uncontrollable habit of letting off a random element, particularly concerning our escaped convict."

"Then…he knows?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes wide with shock as he asked, "About Black? About what he did? About…"

"About how he's my godfather and was once my Father's best friend," finished Harry, his tone unusually dark as he explained, "Yes, Albus: I know. Unlike _some_ I could think to mention, my new family don't keep secrets from me or keep me in the dark because they'd rather block my magic, wipe my memories and leave me weak and destroyed!"

"How dare…"

As soon as Dumbledore stepped towards Harry, Godric made his move: drawing the sword from Harry's side, he pointed it at Dumbledore, his green eyes filled with rage as he hissed, "Give me a reason, I _beg_ you!"

"Godric!" gasped Amelia, her voice filled with raw disbelief as she saw the truth for what it was.

"Dad, don't," Harry cut in, his own voice now softer than before as he told the Headmaster, "He…he's not worth it: please, we've come, we saw, now we're leaving and, Minister, a word of advice: if you do _anything_ to jeopardise the safety and security of the Hogwarts staff or students again, you won't be _Minister_ for very long."

Fudge was as white as a sheet before Harry, looking past Godric, then added, "Madam Bones, is it?"

"That's right, Lord Gryffindor," answered Amelia, the title making Dumbledore suddenly look like he'd been marked for death.

"My friends call me Harry," explained the young lord, "But…I want to thank you for trying to help me and my friends: I really appreciate it."

"Your parents were my friends," Amelia told him, her eyes filled with warmth and care for the young man standing there, "I am yours."

With a curt nod of thanks, Harry took his sword back from Godric before he faced Dumbledore as he added, "Stay away from me, Albus: I know all I need to in order to make you sorry you _ever_ made an enemy of me. Leave…_Sirius_…to me and, if I even discover a _fraction_ of your involvement, I'll see you where you belong, you senile, manipulative old…"

"Harry!"

"Sorry Dad," Harry finished, sighing with relief before he strode past Dumbledore and away from the Minister's office, both him and Godric waiting until they were free and clear before they called on Dobby to return them to the house.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"Well, Albus? Care to make any arguments?"

Dumbledore was silent as Amelia smiled confidently before she rose and, facing Cornelius, she told him, "I think you have your answer, Fudge: I suggest you listen to it."

The Minister just nodded: after witnessing the protectiveness of the Founder and the power of his young ward, Cornelius Fudge wasn't about to make things any worse than they could have been.

"While we're on the subject of Black, however," Amelia then added, her tone suggesting that she was acting in her role as head of the DMLE, "Would anyone care to fill me in as to why our records seem to be missing the magical memory and personnel records of Lord Black's trial?"

While Fudge blanched, Amelia turned to address Dumbledore, but the old man was gone.

'There's something rotten in the state of Denmark,' thought Amelia, quoting one of her favourite Muggle works as she added, 'And _He_ knows something about it.'

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express;

Even though he only had vague memories of the times he'd had before the incident, Harry had a strange feeling that this noise was one he would _never_ forget no matter what sort of magic stepped in his way.

Standing on Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters with his band of friends around him, Harry walked with pride and a sense of graciousness as he moved down the train, a part of him feeling a hint of déjà vu creeping up on him. Finding an empty compartment towards the rear end, Harry helped the others place their trunks and cages – Harry's containing Hedwig while Hermione had a pet carrier with a ginger-furred cat named Crookshanks; Neville had a new Eagle Owl named Orion while Luna had a sleek black pet kitten that she'd named Romulus – into the right areas before everyone climbed on-board.

Sitting in their seats, Harry and Hermione near the window while Luna seemed content to sit on the floor and rest her head against the wood of the train's carriage, Neville checked that there would be little chance for anyone to spoil their fun before he asked, "So, is anyone else curious as to what the feast will be like?"

"I certainly am," replied Harry, a part of him still feeling the anger from his encounter with Dumbledore, but thankfully, he had Hermione to help calm him down. "Mum and Dad are still letting the team use the Lion's Wing, but Dad told me that when the new Heads of House are chosen, he's also got something special planned concerning us."

"Speaking of," Luna then piped up from her comfortable place, "Has anyone heard from Ginny? She was a bit blacked out with communication over the summer."

"The Weasleys won that grand prize in the Ministry, remember?" asked Neville, earning an 'oh' from Luna before he added, "She went with them to Egypt and then, well they only got back last week, so maybe they had magical jet-lag or something. Oh, and by the way, Hermione: Gran says to tell your parents thanks for the time we had on Lake Windermere. She's already looking into more Muggle holidays for next year."

Hermione just laughed while Harry smiled softly as he told her, "Puns fully intended here, Mia, but this summer has certainly been _unforgettable._ Mind you, now that we're back, I hope you all don't mind that Study-Harry comes back from his own vacation?"

"I'd be offended if he didn't," Hermione told him, giving Harry a soft kiss on his lips before she asked, "So are you going to change the password for the Wing or is it still going to be Marauder?"

"Neither," answered Harry, earning a narrow-eyed look from his friends; with a sigh of resignation, the son of the Founders explained, "Mum had an idea for something like what Gringotts use for their vaults: when you come to the Wing, all you have to do is place your hand upon the door or one of the statues and the magic of the Wing will analyse you. If it recognises you as someone keyed in, then you'll be welcomed in: if not, you'll be transported to another part of the castle."

"Where?" asked Luna.

"Don't know," answered Harry, before he smiled slyly as he added, "Guess that all depends on who tries to come into the Wing, wouldn't you agree?"

"What about us?" asked Hermione, earning another smile from her betrothed.

"Casterwill and his brothers recognise us by sight, Mia," Harry told her, his nickname for her earning a blush from Hermione as she was starting to like it. "Our magic _is_ Hogwarts, so all we do is walk up and then, like the automatic doors of a supermarket: open sesame!"

"Wow," laughed Neville, remembering the time in Crawley where he'd gone with Hermione to the shops and found said doors. "That's going to get some laughs, huh?"

"Guess so," Harry nodded, feeling the train shudder underneath them before he let his eyes linger on the rain-streaked world beyond the platform.

As they travelled, Hermione then looked down as she asked, "Aren't you uncomfortable down there, Luna?"

"Not at all," replied Luna, her head now resting against the wood panels while her eyes were closed as she told them, "It's quite relaxing actually: like a full-body massage."

Harry just laughed before he told her, "Luna-girl, I don't want you to think we've left you out this year either: if any more of the Eagles or even that pillock, Weasley, give you any trouble, you come straight to us, 'kay?"

"I will," Luna replied, her sweetness earning a smile from Hermione as she realised that the side of Harry that was both grateful and protective towards Luna's behaviour and her…uniqueness was never really gone at all over the summer.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the door to their compartment was thrown open, Hermione having to grab Harry's hand to stop him drawing his sword; on the other side of the door, Ron Weasley stood there with his brothers and Ginny, who smiled fondly before she moved to sit next to Hermione.

As for Ron, he looked around before he asked, "What do you think you're doing here, Squib? Haven't you learned by now that playing charity case doesn't work?"

"Haven't you learned by now to use what passes for your brain before your big mouth?" asked Harry, his eyes now half-open as he _had_ been relaxed before this moment.

Looking to Ron, Harry then added, "Get it through your skull, Weasley: I don't care who you are anymore. You and your lack of attention caused my accident and, thanks to my girl here, I also know that it was because of you that we were almost expelled on more than one occasion: the Forest, a dragon, the Midnight Duel, not to mention the closed barrier last year."

"Who's your girl?" asked Ron, his eyes then widening as he saw Hermione and, being Ronald Weasley, he made his biggest mistake, "Oh, I see: well, you _are_ thirteen, Harry. It makes sense you'd want to get in some practice before…"

This time, Hermione didn't stop Harry and neither did anyone else; instead, Harry got to his feet, Elder Wand in hand while his eyes blazed with fury and power before he hissed, "_Get…out…now!_"

"I suggest you listen, Weasel," Luna muttered, now toying with the necklace she wore as she explained, "He'll braid your legs for this!"

"What are you talking about, Loony?" demanded Ron, but Harry was still standing there…and he was _pissed!_

Thankfully, there were two others in the compartment's area that seemed to get that: grabbing their idiot by the arms, Fred and George pulled him away before they stepped between Harry and the idiot.

"Harry, mate," Fred remarked, his voice edged by sorrow and compassion as he told him, "Firstly, kudos and congrats on getting the hottest girl in your year as your girlfriend."

"Thank you, Fred," Hermione smiled, now moving to stand behind Harry while she gently moved his hand away from his wand before any real damage could be done.

"Secondly," added George, now smiling devilishly as he explained, "Don't feel a need to waste your hallowed power on the Court Jester, oh King of the Lions' Pride. Let your humble Knights take care of the interloper: we can make it last longer."

"They _are_ known as the Demons of Gryffindor for a reason, my King," agreed Luna, the term now making Harry's scowl turn into a smile as she told him, "Let them show this Joker his place: you don't need to do more than you already have done."

"Luna's right," added Neville, now standing with Harry and the rest of his friends in the confined space, "We all look out for one another, remember?"

"I…I remember," sighed Harry, easing himself into Hermione's embrace as he told the Twins, "Just…make it…_memorable._"

"Yes, sire," chorused the twins, both of them leaving Harry, dragging Ron between them with the idiot kicking and screaming.

Left alone once more, Harry sank into his seat with Hermione now letting his head fall into her lap: recognising the signs from over their summer together, the Lady of Hogwarts began slowly massaging his scalp before she whispered, "There…see? You don't need to let your rage show all the time, not when you have those who can teach your enemies a lesson for you."

"Thanks, Mia," muttered Harry softly, his eyes drifting to Ginny as he asked, "How are you, Gin? Nice summer?"

"Pretty boring up until now," answered Ginny, before she smiled as she added, "But Bill says hi and, I have to admit, it _is_ nice to see that you and Hermione finally stopped being idiots and realised how you really feel."

"Appreciate that," Hermione agreed, looking down as she then realised that, in her massaging of her betrothed, a typical reaction had come out of him;

He'd fallen asleep…

'But at least he's okay,' thought Hermione as the train rolled on towards Hogwarts.

**Chapter 7 and the gang are back, but so is trouble: can Harry learn not to let his dark nature show when his friends are there for him?**

**Also, how will the 'Head of House' resort go and what is the surprise planned for Harry?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: A new year starts at Hogwarts with a changing of the guard, but who will the guys get and what is this surprise? Also, an old acquaintance of Harry's wishes to talk about the changed Son of Hogwarts and Godric starts to teach Harry more about his future as master of the school…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: Harry's allegiances**

**Okay, so as you can see, we're starting to see some real building of Harry's forces and some further dangers of crossing our hero; I hope you liked how I described things and changed certain people to be similar to how we know and love them to be, but with a few differeces.**

**For example, Luna is still…well, still Luna, but this time, she doesn't have a seer/premonition type of gift;**

_**AN2: **_**Poll:**

**Also, with the end of the year approaching, I've put a poll on my profile to ask about the Dark story that we go out with; so, if you haven't done so already, then go and cast your votes now;**

_**AN3: **_**Hermione**

**Given what Hermione is to learn of her own magical art – the Bestial Arts – any suggestions for added forms and powers to come with those forms would be welcome;**


	8. Master of the House

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Arial Wolf: All things come to those who wait;**

**EndlessChains: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter; it was certainly a challenge;**

**StormyFireDragon: Um…Storm, Ginny's an ally of Harry's in this story, not his enemy;**

**WhiteElfElder: Interesting suggestion;**

**Daithi4377: If things were that easy, then life would be perfect…but it isn't;**

**Ginnylove9990: Inspiration: it can be a blessing or a curse and, depending on the inspiration depends on how I update so well;**

"_How are you, Gin? Nice summer?"_

"_Pretty boring up until now," answered Ginny, before she smiled as she added, "But Bill says hi and, I have to admit, it is nice to see that you and Hermione finally stopped being idiots and realised how you really feel."_

"_Appreciate that," Hermione agreed, looking down as she then realised that, in her massaging of her betrothed, a typical reaction had come out of him;_

_He'd fallen asleep…_

'_But at least he's okay,' thought Hermione as the train rolled on towards Hogwarts._

Chapter 8: Master of the House

By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station, Harry was awake once more and had spent the last hour of the journey talking with his friends while also making checks on his things. It was rather surprising – to Hermione, at least – that they also had no more interruptions on the train ride to school, but Ginny assumed that someone had talked about what happened with the idiot she called a brother and people found it better to keep their distance.

Reaching the station, Harry was the first of the infamous quintet off the train, each of them leading the way towards the carriages where, as they went to climb onto the backs of the carriage, a surprise greeted Harry.

It looked like a dark-skinned, rather ugly-looking winged horse, though its wings were made of leather rather than feathers while its eyes were a pale shade of grey that seemed to mirror ghostly colours. The sleek black of its coat was almost inspiring and wonderful for Harry, but as he looked at the creature, he also felt an air of magic surround him with this beast.

"What…what is it?" asked Harry softly, his attention returned to the here and now by Luna's hand in his.

"A Thestral, Harry," explained the Ravenclaw, her voice edged by her own awe as she told him, "Beautiful in their own way, but misunderstood because, to see them, you have to have seen death."

"So…" Harry began, before he climbed onto the carriage and, sitting next to Hermione, he asked Luna, "You…you know someone who died?"

"My Mum," answered Luna, her voice edged by a mix of reminisce and sorrow as she explained, "She was a brilliant witch but she had an unfortunate knack for her experiments going wrong. One day she was in the middle of one and…well, you know what happened, Harry. We talked about it."

"We did," agreed Harry, smiling softly before he patted Luna's hand and, looking again to the Thestral, he then asked, "What sort of curse needs to be cast to see something so unique?"

"Not all curses need death to break them, Harry," Hermione muttered, smiling with him as she told him, "I can see them too."

"Must be the bond you have," Neville suggested, though his eyes looked forwards as he added, "Sure wish I could see them: I know people say they're a bad omen, but a Thestral sure sounds cool."

"And one of us has part of them as part of him," added Luna, her eyes darting to Harry's wand before she told him, "The Elder Wand, remember, Harry?"

"I remember," Harry nodded, feeling both honoured and proud to wield a piece of this magical mystery.

Reaching the school, Harry walked with his friends into the Great Hall where, as they entered, they were surprised to find the house tables abandoned and, in their place, a large stadium-like seating arrangement had been set up, a single platform in the centre holding what seemed to be a magical container of some sort.

"Harry, welcome back!" beamed Godric when he saw his son enter; with him were the other professors, Founders and House Heads.

As he looked around, Harry actually seemed to get the point as he asked, "What about the Sorting and Welcome Feast, Dad…I mean, Headmaster?"

Godric laughed at his son's cheeky innocence before he answered, "The first-years will be sorted like normal, hence the platform here, but we arranged the seats like this to get a point across, one that will be revealed after the choosing of your new Heads of House. In the meantime, son, would you take your friends to the front of the hall and sit in the seats there?"

Harry nodded, each of his friends looking somewhere between confused and amused as they walked to a row of seats that seemed to be on the same level as the teacher's area. Taking their seats, the five friends shared a look before they watched as their House and classmates all walked into the room.

Greeting them with a proud, beaming smile, Godric explained, "Welcome back, students of the Magi: do not try to perceive the sleepiness you all feel tonight. I can assure you that what you're seeing _is_ real. Now, would everyone find a seat so that we may begin?"

Strangely, a few of the students moved to random seats while the majority sat with their housemates; once the sorting began and the new students were put into their houses, Godric applauded with the rest of his colleagues before he stood with Rowena, Salazar and Helga upon the platform, each of them facing one side of the large, rectangular-shaped arena seating as they prepared to speak.

"Good evening," Godric announced, his voice amplified by a Sonorous as he addressed the hall, "For those of you a little behind the times, allow me to introduce myself: I am Godric Gryffindor, one of the four Founders of this citadel and master of Gryffindor House. However, as of today, I am also Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, like my colleagues, I must confess my utmost displeasure at what I've seen within these walls."

A few students shifted and started whispering amongst themselves before Rowena stepped forwards, her voice sharp and proud as she addressed the hall, "We have seen bigotry, blood prejudice, breed discrimination and, the worst of the worst, bullying through blood purity or indifference. Though your legends would have you believe that the four of us were enemies, _this is not true!_"

Harry had to smile as he saw a few of the Slytherins looking rather uneasy as their Founder now addressed the hall, "Godric and I had disagreements, this is true: what I did _not_ do, however, was discriminate against Muggle-borns _or_ come up with that appalling, disgusting word that is used by children of my House in this day and age. Yes, for those curious about it, I _did_ hold a small animosity against Muggles, but only to the point of how they'd react if they knew magic existed: as for children born to the craft from Muggle families, I saw them as the next generation of magic. Furthermore, neither Godric, Rowena, Helga nor myself made _any_ sort of distinction between Light Arts and Dark Arts: there _is_ no true good or evil, there is only magic and the will and intent of the one who uses it. Magic is magic, blood is blood and those gifted enough to feel, wield and use said magic are _not_ freaks of nature or abominations of magic. Instead, they are blessed children chosen to be worthy enough of Lady Magic's gifts: so, know this, _all_ of you. As of right now, Hogwarts is set to change."

"And," added Helga, "As part of that change, we the Founders have agreed to do a little…_sorting_ of our own, namely of the Heads of Houses and teaching positions here at Hogwarts. First and foremost, concerning one Sybil Trelawney…"

A few eyes went to the strange-looking female as Rowena took the lead, "Divination can be taught, this is true: however, the powers of a Seer are _not_ trivial things that can be given and taken and triggered on a whim. As one who holds the power of Sight myself, I know of what I say: therefore, I am asking you only _once_. Cease the infernal prattling and pretence that you have had each and every year concerning the ill fates and deaths of a student or individual of this school. If you do not and if you _claim_ to have another vision when it suits you, then I will have no choice but to have you removed from Hogwarts and, quite possibly, arrested for unintentional endangerment of your charges, do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes Lady Ravenclaw," replied Trelawney, actually trembling in fear of the power of the Founder; at the same time, her eyes seemed to look to Harry as the Founders went on and, if he wasn't mistaken, Harry thought he saw her mouth the words _forgive me._

"To ensure you stay true to your promise," Rowena then continued, "I will be assisting your Divination classes with chances for private tuitions for those either gifted or in possession of the Gift themselves. Furthermore, because I know of the experiences you have had with the sight when it has come to you, I will also ask that you go through your teaching methods and decide what is _right_ and not just _appropriate_ for students to learn, understand?"

Trelawney nodded again.

Now it was Godric's turn as he announced, "Our next concern is the teaching methods of one Cuthbert Binns: as Headmaster of the School, I call upon the magic of Hogwarts herself to allow the man to pass onto the next great adventure _unless_ she deems him worthy to act somewhere else."

A bright flash filled the Great Hall at his words and, when it faded, the students were surprised to see Professor Binns now floating in front of Godric, his eyes filled with thanks before, with a final, ethereal sigh, Binns left the mortal realm for the last time.

"With that out of the way," Godric then continued, "It gives me great pleasure to welcome your new History of Magic professor, Remus Lupin!"

There were some mild rounds of applause from the staff and students before Godric continued, "He has graciously agreed to take the post as well as add to our list of candidates for the choosing that is still to come. As a former Gryffindor student _and_ a man of exceptional talents, I hope we can all learn great things from Professor Lupin."

Again, the students applauded their new professor's assignment before Salazar went on, "Now, with regards to Defence Against the Dark Arts and its so-called _curse_: you'll be pleased to know that the curse has been broken and, after much deliberation with our fellow staff members and my colleagues, we have agreed that Defence shall be taught by _me!_"

There were a few gasps of shock and, in the case of a few Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, even horror at this proclamation before Salazar went on, "Now don't be so afraid, children: kindly remember what was just said about my colleagues and I _not_ being the bloodthirsty rivals we're portrayed as by your Ministry edicts and texts. Furthermore, after the abysmal performance of the one and only time last year, we have also agreed to reinstate the Duelling Club, but it will now be overseen by Madame Hufflepuff as well as Professors Snape, Flitwick and, finally, myself. We do this not to intimidate you, but to give each year and each House a fighting chance to experience and enjoy the art of magical duelling."

'_Did you know this?_' asked Hermione, earning a shake of the head from Harry as the Founders went on, now reaching Helga.

"Finally, and most importantly, there is one thing we _all_ have to say…"

Here, she and the Founders all looked to the door of the new Great Hall before, as one, they roared, "ARGUS FILCH: YOU'RE _FIRED!_"

Harry didn't know what was louder: the cheers from the students or the cries of fear and terror from Filch as Godric took point, "You are _not_ even worthy to watch over prison inmates let alone a school full of children: your punishments border on Dementor's Kiss worthy and your sick and twisted belief in the rules of this school are so outdated that it makes _us_ look modern…and remember we lived nearly a thousand years ago! In your place, we have assigned Mr Rubeus Hagrid to watch over the students as gamekeeper and caretaker with his dog, Fang, as companion."

Now there was only confusion in Harry's eyes as he listened to his Father's announcement, "Furthermore, effective immediately, the use of magic between corridors and classrooms is _no longer_ prohibited providing the intent of the use of magic is fun or educational and _not_ to break rules or cause harm to others."

A few mild cheers and applause broke out at this announcement as Godric went on, "As a few of you may know, Mr Hagrid _was_ meant to take over as Care of Magical Creatures professor; however, once again after great deliberation with our colleagues, we have chosen another whom is familiar with the workings of this school and, more importantly, the care and upbringing of magical creatures."

Here, the doors to the Great Hall opened and, as Harry and his friends looked on, there were gasps of shock from Ginny and the Twins as a tall, lanky-looking young man with red hair and bright blue eyes walked into the Great Hall. He was dressed in a long coat like a traveller's duster underneath which he also wore a set of tight, but comfortable working robes, one side of which held the Hogwarts Crest while the other held an array of keys and a wand.

"Who's that?" asked Neville.

"My…my brother," answered Ginny, her words proving true as Godric spoke again.

"Students and staff, please join me in welcoming Professor Charlie Weasley to the Hogwarts staff!"

The applause was only really mild, but there were some looks of disbelief and even fear from the Weasley Twins; as for Harry, he just chuckled as he realised that this must have had something to do with Godric's surprise for him and his friends.

Hermione had told him about Charlie Weasley helping him rescue a dragon back in first year and, since then, Harry had longed to meet the man: now that desire was coming true, but if he worked with dragons, then why was he here now at Hogwarts?

While the question burned in Harry's mind, Rowena took over once again as she announced, "Now that the official lesson business is out of the way, we would also like to tell you all that Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape have also banded together and agreed to teach an extra-curricular class on Healing and Healer's Arts at the weekend. Any who wish to learn would please meet in the large classroom on the sixth floor next to the portrait of the Alchemist at 4pm on Saturday afternoon? From there, you'll be divided between Madam Pomfrey, who will handle the younger years and newer members of the group, and Professor Snape, who will teach advanced healing: be warned also that Mr Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey, Madam Hooch and even Madam Pince now _all_ have authority to assign detentions and give out and deduct points, so _be warned!_"

Now a few people looked even more uneasy as Salazar spoke once again, "And now, before we all become overwhelmed by our glorious feast, let me make one final point regarding your…current seating: Hogwarts is a school, this is true, and you are _all_ in Houses, again true. However, we are _most_ disappointed that House Unity has been on an all-time low over the past 250 years of this school _at least._ Therefore, as of today, all students are permitted to sit anywhere they desire in this hall and in Study Times to encourage unity: if you have…rivalries with certain members, then keep that rivalry to the classroom or, if _absolutely_ necessary, settle it in the Duel Field. Do _not_ allow any manner of discrimination to stop you getting to know your fellow classmates."

"With that in mind," Godric continued, now indicating Harry and his friends as he explained, "We'd like to direct your attention to the five students sitting there beneath the Staff Area: Hermione Granger, a Muggleborn whom is also Gryffindor; Neville Longbottom, a Pureblood whom many of you would call a Squib and again, Gryffindor; Luna Lovegood, and I hope the Eagles have learned their lesson about her, a Ravenclaw and someone under the protection of the Lord of Hogwarts. Ginny Weasley, a bright young girl who, while she may be Gryffindor, I personally believe would have been better suited to Hufflepuff for her loyalty and grey-aligned behaviour."

"And finally," added Rowena, "Harry James Potter, a Slytherin student, and still is, so no arguments there: he is also our Heir in blood and magical conquest and yet, despite his power, his influence and everything else he has under his belt, Harry is still the same as most of you know. Friendly, loyal and unafraid to protect those who have earned his friendship. To him, there is no difference between blood or potential and it is that skill that best personifies the new Hogwarts. Now, as most of you know, last year, Harry was involved in a magical accident because of the lack of care of our predecessor for his students: but from that accident, a warrior has emerged and shown himself to respect all comers, no matter the house. In fact, before any of Sal's children say anything, it may interest you to know that Harry personally _requested_ to be a member of Slytherin House, but stays in one of the Founder's quarters."

"How come?" asked Seamus Finnegan, giving Harry a curt nod as he added, "I mean Harry's always welcome in the Lion's Den as are his friends, so why would he want to be out of the way?"

"Because he's a big-headed cry baby who needs everyone to feel sorry for him," Ron scowled, earning several spells to his person to shut him up, including a silencing spell from their new Care Professor, who stepped forwards.

"That's ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Weasley," Charlie explained, his voice strong, but edged by a sense of friendship as he added, "And twenty points to Gryffindor to you, Mr Finnegan, for showing us another fine example of what the Founders were saying."

"And a point to every member of whatever house silenced Mr Weasley's ramblings," added Professor Snape, the rest of them watching as a few rubies, sapphires and topaz stones all filled the House Point counters.

"To answer your question, Seamus," Harry then added, rising from his seat as he explained, "As Headmaster Gryffindor said, I have been recognised as Master of Hogwarts and, with that title, there comes certain…skills and lessons I need that don't affect my classmates. Staying in the Lion's Wing allows me to learn while also inviting any member of any House whom I feel are worthy to sit in a place shared by the Four Founders. I may be Slytherin in Crest, but as you can _all_ hopefully see, I wield Gryffindor's blade, have been blessed by Ravenclaw's Diadem and even worn Hufflepuff's ring. I'm not afraid of house rivalries or blood purity because, as our Headmaster and Defence Master said, there is no good and evil anymore; now, there is only magic and the will and intent of the one who uses it."

With that, Harry sat back down, but not before a few members of Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and even Slytherin applauded his words, the applause mirrored by the Founders as Godric announced, "Twenty points to Slytherin for the bravery you showed there, Lord Potter. He's also right: we, the Founders of Hogwarts, _do_ teach him things he needs to learn, but, if it's not needed, then we don't teach it. As for Mr Finnegan's open invitation policy, I think we should extend that to friends and allies of all Houses, so please, Mr Finnegan, take an extra five points to Gryffindor for the inspiration there."

Seamus blushed as Salazar took over, "From now on, all Houses, while password protected, are accessible by all students, but _only_ to the point of your Common Rooms. No going into the dorms of another House without prior consent from the Head of House, and…speaking of Heads, we turn our attention to the choosing."

With a wave of her hand, Rowena seemed to ignite the box like a bonfire, though the flames were a bright, purifying shade of white; as everyone watched, Rowena then explained, "Now in the interest of fairness, we have agreed to a random decider by this magical box, which has been enchanted by the power of the Founders and had the name of each and every teacher placed inside. Whoever's name comes out is the corresponding Head of House for that House: Lord Potter, out of fairness for your…circumstance with the Lion's Wing, we'll also be assigning you a liaison whom can speak to you and your guests if necessary without raising the attention of other teachers, is this agreeable?"

"Yes Ma'am," replied Harry, putting emphasis on the title to show he was both understanding and agreeable: the only ones who knew of the double meaning were Hermione, Neville and Luna…and the Founders themselves, of course.

With a fond smile, Godric waved his own hand over the flames before he announced, "The first House to be sorted is…"

The flames suddenly turned gold as Godric announced his answer, "Gryffindor: how appropriate…and the Head of House…"

With a sound like a firework going off, a piece of parchment rose into the air before it seemed to become enlarged, revealing the name of the corresponding professor in fiery red writing.

"Salazar Slytherin!" Exclaimed Godric, earning a few laughs from Harry and his crew while some of the Gryffindors suddenly looked nervous, including the idiot.

Rowena went next, the flames turning blue as she approached, "The Head of Ravenclaw House…."

Again, the parchment was launched into the air before it spelled out the name, "Is Aurora Sinestra!"

Helga went next, the flames turning green as she watched the parchment rise up, "The Head of Slytherin House…Minerva McGonagall!"

Now it was the turn of the Slytherins to look worried as Salazar went last, the flames turning a shade of greyish-brown as the parchment rose up before he exclaimed, "And the new Head of Hufflepuff House…is Remus Lupin!"

As the Hufflepuffs applauded the assignment of their new head, the flames turned as black as night before Godric announced, "Now, for the representative of the collaboration located in the Lion's Wing, the Chamber of Secrets, the Falcon's Roost and the Foxhole…"

The parchment rose into the air and, as everyone watched, the lettering spelled out a name, the sight of the name making Neville go pale while, like Godric, Harry found it rather appropriate;

"Severus Snape!"

**Chapter 8 and the new heads and new rules are made, but how long will it take for those rules to be challenged?**

**Also, can Severus help the Founders ease the demons raging inside Harry and how will Gryffindor take being headed up by Salazar Slytherin?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: As term begins, an old acquaintance of Harry's wishes to talk about the changed Son of Hogwarts and Godric starts to teach Harry more about his future as master of the school while Harry and Severus have a long-overdue chat and Slytherin gets his first detention: no prizes for guessing who with…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: **_**The New Hogwarts**_

**Okay, so there we go then: I hope everyone liked the changes and how things went with certain lessons and teachers; I know a lot of you were probably expecting me to give Trelawney the boot, but I decided to keep her around: after all, Vision and Foresight aren't the only ethereal abilities out there, right?**


	9. Wipe the Slate Clean

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**LunaArtemis1: I'll do a bit more to cover Harry's lessons once I take care of the 'Sirius' plot in the story;**

**StormyFireDragon: Slow and steady, Storm: I think you'll like what I have planned;**

**Lawstudent092: I hope you enjoy this one, J; it's certainly taking some thought as I want to keep the work going as long as possible to its hopeful conclusion;**

**T4: Once the main plot of the year – PoA – is dealt with, I'll put in some bits about classes and such;**

**Winged Seer Wolf: Well, my friend, since it's 3****rd**** year, I think it's safe to say that Tom's a bit out-of-action for now and, as for Dumbles, you'll find out soon;**

**WhiteElfElder: My sentiments exactly and they will…soon;**

"_Gryffindor: how appropriate…and the Head of House…Salazar Slytherin!" _

"_The Head of Ravenclaw House….Is Aurora Sinestra!"_

"_The Head of Slytherin House…Minerva McGonagall!"_

"_And the new Head of Hufflepuff House…is Remus Lupin!"_

"_Now, for the representative of the collaboration located in the Lion's Wing, the Chamber of Secrets, the Falcon's Roost and the Foxhole…"_

"_Severus Snape!"_

Chapter 9: Wipe the Slate Clean

Harry stood alone in his room within the Lion's Wing, the rest of his small party of five having gone to their own dorms or, in Hermione and Luna's cases, the two of them getting ready for their night in their chambers.

At Harry's request, despite the new Ravenclaw Head of House and the insistent message from the Founders, Luna was now a permanent resident of the Wing and the other Founder's Chambers, though only Hermione knew that he'd done this out of the brotherly respect and care he had found himself showing towards the unique blonde.

While Hermione was helping Luna move her things into the guest chambers up the stairs next to Harry and Hermione's Master Suite, the Master of the School stood at his window, looking out over the fields and the lake that he could see from his bedroom window.

He'd also closed his mind to Hermione as he knew that this was something he needed to think about alone:

Sirius Black!

He was out there…somewhere.

On his way to Hogwarts to find Harry and finish the job he'd started years back when he'd betrayed a brotherly friendship with James Potter to strike a deal with Voldemort. In the process, he'd murdered a whole street of Muggles and a wizard and now, with his escape from Azkaban, he wanted to finish the job.

He wanted Harry!

"Well I promise," whispered the young lord, "I won't go down easily: I'll make you sorry for betraying them and _then_, if I'm feeling merciful, I'll hand you to the Dementors personally."

"But in the meantime," a familiar monotone voice told him from behind him, "You need to calm down, Harry: you're starting to frighten people."

Turning to the source of the voice, which belonged to his House Liaison, Severus Snape, Harry sniffed before he asked, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know what it is that troubles you," explained Severus, his voice edged by a sense of duty and loyalty to the boy in front of him, "You're not the only one who cared for them, Harry: I may not have any love lost for your Father, but Lily and I were good friends until Black's idiocy and jealousy nearly cost me my life."

"Against Remus, you mean?" asked Harry, earning a wide-eyed look from Severus before he shrugged ruefully as he explained, "It was pretty easy to figure out once I thought about why my Father would create a life-debt with his most-hated rival. Then there's how Remy's told me that he's a wolf, which actually makes me wonder how he's going to survive here at Hogwarts."

"Lord Slytherin has allowed Remus access to the Chamber of Secrets for his transformation," explained Severus, earning a curious look from Harry as he told him, "Because he is a magical creature, he would be immune to the Basilisk's venom in his wolf form _and_, in a similar fashion, she would also be immune to his bite. Though if I may be so bold, Harry, I'd certainly like a chance to study her…as a Potions Master's curiosity, of course."

"Of course," agreed Harry, a part of him amused at the man's _curiosities_ since he did know that any sort of Basilisk skins and other such implements were priceless in the Potions World.

Come on, he _had_ been taught by Slytherin himself, after all.

"I'll have to speak to Uncle Sal about this," Harry explained, smirking at the family title for the Slytherin Founder as he explained, "And then I'll check it with Aurora, given she's as old as the hills and just as precious to him. Once I have their answers, I'll have Salazar take us down to the chamber."

Severus nodded before he went on, "Now, since I am no longer the Head of Slytherin, I wanted to have a talk with you about extending olive branches to that House as you have done for your Gryffindor and Ravenclaw allies."

"If you're about to mention Draco Malfoy, don't bother," Harry told him, earning another curious look from Severus as he asked, "What? I _did_ spend the end of the year with my new dorm-mates in classes, so I know about Malfoy and his little nest of friends. I also know of the neutral parties in Slytherin like Miss Daphne and Astoria Greengrass as well as Mr Blaise Zabini and Miss Tracey Davis, so don't seem so worried, Severus. Both as Slytherin's Heir and as Master of the School, I can assure you that I'm not thinking of blacklisting them. I've just been a bit more preoccupied with other things: you know? My lessons, my betrothal and bond with Hermione and, of course, learning about my old and new selves from friends and the Founders?"

"Harry," Severus sighed, a feeling of amusement passing over him as he told his student, "I know Draco's a little…different…"

"He's the son of a Death Eater and follower of Voldemort who takes pleasure in insulting my friends and degrading my family," Harry cut him off, shaking his head as he added, "That's _not_ someone I'd call a friend, Sev. You only got the chance because you promised Uncle Sal that you'd do your best to help me out, which you have done and I thank you for that. But Draco?"

Still shaking his head, Harry went on, "From what I know of him from Hermione and Neville's talks, he takes great pleasure in using a certain word in Hermione's direction and also insulting Neville's magical prowess: the only way I'd even give him a chance to wipe the slate clean between us if he swore a magical oath, with Mum, Dad and the other Founders present, in which he'd promise that he would _never_ say that word again to anyone and actually try to be more than just some Daddy's boy."

"Would you like that in writing, Lord Gryffindor?" asked a familiar drawling voice, the eyes of the Master of Hogwarts widening as he saw Draco Malfoy step into the room with Salazar, Godric, Helga, Rowena and, to Harry's surprise, the new Head of Slytherin, Minerva McGonagall standing with him.

As they appeared in the doorway, Harry then noticed Hermione and Luna, who moved to stand with their friend as he asked, "Who let him in here? I thought this place was protected?"

"He asked my permission and told me that he was leaving his wand in Minerva's office, Harry," explained Godric, earning a look from his adopted son as the man continued, "Rowena and Salazar both checked him over and they agreed that he was clean and being sincere in his request: given our little speech downstairs, I figured you of all people would be willing to be one of the first to mend broken bridges."

"Da-Headmaster," sighed Harry, the near-slip earning a smile from Draco while Harry continued, "If you guys agree that he's clean, then I guess he's welcome in here for now at least. _But,_ with regards to what I said, Malfoy, know this: my extending of the olive branch is not something I do on a whim. If you're serious about this, you're letting go of everything you were raised to believe and becoming the wise wizard that Slytherin himself is."

Salazar beamed with pride as Harry then crossed the room and, drawing the Elder Wand from his robe, he pointed it at Draco before he added, "Furthermore, and here's the important part: you're going to help show that the Founders' decrees downstairs weren't just mere words. It's time Hogwarts either changed its ways or caught up with the rest of the world and that includes extending knowledge to the Muggle World and how they work. The ignorance of our world to theirs is something that _really_ sickens me: since I was raised in the Muggle world myself, I know what I'm talking about…or at least what I remember which is almost nothing at all."

"What Harry's trying to say, Malfoy," Hermione reasoned, standing with her betrothed as she told the Malfoy Heir, "Is that you get one chance and one warning: that was it. Do anything to let Harry's trust in you hit rock bottom and he'll let you know about it…and so will I."

Here, she too drew her wand before she explained, "You might want to believe you can make use of Harry's influence because he doesn't remember most things about your old confrontations, but newsflash, Malfoy: _I_ remember! So, if you're here to use Harry or try to worm your way into a circle on behalf of your Death Eater daddy, then if I were you, I'd run as fast as I can in the other direction."

For a long time, there was silence before Draco sniggered as he told Hermione, "You know something, Granger? For someone so intelligently clever and gifted, you can be so stupid sometimes."

Harry's hand suddenly twitched with a desire to use the Sword of Gryffindor on Draco before he quickly continued, "Not that I mean that offensively, but given the power that Harry, sorry, Lord Gryffindor, has shown over the past few months since his _accident_ and since he is under the protection of the Founders, my godfather and Hogwarts herself, do you _actually_ think I want to stand against that sort of power?"

While Hermione looked confused, Draco directed his words at Harry as he explained, "Let me tell you a little secret, milord Gryffindor: three years ago, if you remember it or not, but I once made you an offer."

"Yes," Harry nodded, "You said, and I'm quoting almost directly here, but you said that I'd find out that some wizarding families are better than others and that I wouldn't want to go making friends with the wrong sorts. You also emphasised your last words before insinuating that I needed your help to make those choices."

"Yes," Draco agreed, "But that's not what I intended for you to think: you see, I know I was arrogant, but that's how I was raised to be: number one; leader of the pack. However, you're Harry Potter: you survived living with those unworthy freaks _and_ had the nerve to stand up to me when I challenged you time and time again; believe it or not, I was set to offer you a second chance, but then you went to Gryffindor and I lost myself in the rivalry between Godric and Salazar's Houses."

Harry, Hermione, Godric and Salazar all shared looks of curiosity as Draco cleared his throat before he continued, "What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't have treated you as a lackey; I would have stood there and helped you become leader of the pack and when that happened, I hoped that I would be there to stand proudly while you looked at me and actually thanked me for doing this. You know, I never really hated you: I only did so because Weasel-bee always chose to open his mouth and ruin everything…"

"Yeah, he has a bad case of foot-in-mouth syndrome," Harry murmured, earning laughs from the others, including the usually-stoic Severus and even Draco himself.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me for what happened between us in the past," Draco went on, "But you've been given a clean slate thanks to Lockhart and that red-headed idiot, so…for the future's sake, I'm asking you to let me do the same. If it means proving myself to you, then I will: you may or may not remember this, but I do actually owe you because of a duel in our first year and how you risked your life in the Forest while I did a runner. So if that debt is how I prove myself to you, then tell me and I'll do anything you say, Lord Gryffindor…anything."

Looking to Hermione, Harry saw his betrothed give him a single nod before she moved back to where Luna was standing; Harry, meanwhile, stepped closer to Draco so that the two of them could almost see each other's reflections in their eyes.

Lowering the Elder Wand, but keeping it in his hand in case of any deception, he smirked as he asked, "We never did finish our duel from last year, did we?"

"No, I don't believe we did," Draco sniggered.

"Then let's wipe the slate clean in our first Duel Club," Harry reasoned, his voice low as he told Draco, "After that, I'll give you a chance: waste this opportunity, however, and I'll leave you to the fury of Hermione Gryffindor…or maybe even Emma Granger."

Draco looked curiously at Hermione before she smiled wolfishly as she added, "My Mum, Malfoy…and someone who loves Harry like a son and sees his smile as the light of her life. Extinguish that light…"

She shuddered…and seconds later, so did Draco.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

The first week was a little confusing, but interesting for the members of Hogwarts;

With new Heads of House and new professors, the students found themselves often-times confused before they remembered what was going on and managed to adjust accordingly.

For the Gryffindors, it was surprisingly easy for some of them to adapt to the fact that Salazar-flaming-Slytherin was their new Head of House, though for some, it was only because they saw Neville Longbottom, Ginny, Fred and George Weasley all getting on well with their Head of House's key charge.

As for the Slytherins, they soon learned that Minerva McGonagall was _no_ Severus Snape: she didn't go easy on them, she didn't give them advantages and, when Harry reported from Draco that they'd heard a certain word directed at Hermione and others of that particular blood trait, she put the entire House – save Harry and Draco – into a night's lockdown/grounding, each of them forced to clean the dorms and Common Room _by hand_ until it was spotless.

When parents heard about this, some tried to make something of it, but Harry, as Master of Hogwarts, took it one step further and, in the middle of September, it was announced that the Hogwarts Board of Governors had been reformed with new members, each one representing a different area of Hogwarts.

Interscholastic relations and communications were now handled by Neville's Grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, which took a weight off of Minerva's back in sending and receiving letters every summer and other such times.

Security and matters concerning items and certain other oddments within the school were taken care of by the team of Kingsley Shacklebolt and Andromeda Tonks, though her placement had come at a suggestion from Amelia Bones, who'd told Harry that she was glad he and the Founders were helping to change Hogwarts.

Decisions concerning discipline and staff concerns were handled by Nymphadora Tonks as well as Rowena, who had accepted the co-position and disciplinary procedures after a meeting with Harry and Godric.

The place of head of the Board and liaison of the school had originally belonged to Lucius Malfoy, though when Harry, Godric and Salazar managed to discover evidence that Malfoy was responsible for the events of the Chamber – including a testimonial vow on Elven Magical Forces from Dobby – and the resulting accident and cause of near-death for Ginny Weasley, the man was given an ultimatum.

Shape up, through the means of _actual_ charitable work in the case of those less fortunate or, the option that he chose, resignation from the Board and handing all rights and powers over to Draco's Mother, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black.

When Narcissa was offered the place of Board Manageress and Liaison, Draco made sure that her acceptance came with a vow of loyalty towards the duties and responsibilities of looking after a school and, when she was asked for a Vice-Manager, she surprised everyone, including Lucius and Draco, when she suggested none other than Arthur Weasley for the post.

The last position took care of the magical protections of the school and, for this, Harry and Godric shared the position, using their magical cores to re-empower the wards and take care of certain problems within the school. For example, Harry found a ward that had been sealed for nearly fifty years, which usually detected the presence of Dark Magic within the school: releasing it also revealed the Chamber of Secrets, but with help from Salazar, the Master of Hogwarts had the place cleansed, a feat that Aurora thanked her new lord for helping with.

Another thing that disturbed Harry was the Muggle Repelling Ward: it was in place and working, obviously, but it also repelled their electronics and other such things from the Muggle world that the magicals could have spent time learning about and experiencing. When he and Godric dispelled the ward so that it now merely repelled those looking up at it from the outside and allowed the resources/aides of Muggle-born and Half-blood students on the premises, it made Harry feel better and, after a long chat with Godric, both of them agreed that the following year would introduce a second Muggle Studies course in the new, modern Muggle world.

When asked for teaching suggestions, Harry and Hermione both chorused, "Mum and Dad!"

Doing this would keep the Grangers safe and also ensure that their teachers knew what they were talking about, especially since Charity Burbage announced that she was retiring at the end of the year due to being kept behind the times for too long.

So it was agreed that Daniel would teach the Muggle History Studies course to help magicals understand that Muggles weren't just lesser while Emma would teach the course on adapting to the Muggle world and blending in without sticking out like sore thumbs.

By the end of October, and the rapidly-approaching date that Harry had long dreaded because of what it meant for him, it was clear to everyone that a change was definitely in the air at Hogwarts.

And, strange as it was going to sound to many, it was a change that was very much welcomed…

**Chapter 9 and there's a change in the air, but is everyone willing to embrace the changes?**

**Also, can Harry and his friends have a **_**normal, quiet**_** Halloween or will another 'curse' show itself?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: Happy Halloween to Hogwarts and Godric makes a funny suggestion, however, when fun and games are the agenda, a dark revelation brings Harry's dark side out: plus, a gift is given by Remus to Harry that really tips the scales, but will it change our hero too?**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: **_**Slight Change**_

**Okay, so this is a little different to what I originally had in mind, but I think it's helping me keep this story going, so I hope you all enjoyed what's going on;**

**Now, I should point out that, like most of my multi-year stories, the Halloween time is when everything is being cleared up by me for this one; I mean, no offence, but I can't actually believe it takes a whole year to solve a mystery with **_**so many**_** resources at the disposal of our heroes…**

_**AN2: Triwizard Tournament?**_

**Now, this one's got me stumped; you see, without Dumbledore at Hogwarts and without Dark Magic on the premises, it'd be hard for Moody/Crouch to sneak on the school site, so my question is this:**

**Should I still have the TWT in this story and just put that Harry wasn't in it or should we go ahead with it?**

**Any who agree with the latter: any suggestions on **_**how**_** Harry's name would be in the Tournament are **_**definitely**_** welcome…**

_**AN3: Harry and Draco's 'clean-slate' duel**_

**Don't worry friends, I'll be putting this in later in the story as a flashback when I also plan on bringing a certain other someone to Harry's side to give him another weapon against his enemies, so just be patient;**


	10. Son of the Marauder

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**EndlessChains: While I applaud the option, it seems like something that others might use a bit often;**

**WhiteElfElder: Hm, can't disagree;**

**SincerelyChristina: Well I know that it set it up, but can you actually see the Founders willingly putting students in danger?**

**Winged Seer Wolf: Thanks for pointing that out; also, as I said to another, I applaud the suggestion, but it'd seem a bit obvious to use, so that's why I've made the decision that I have;**

**Alix33: Yeah, that's why I have a nice idea for fourth year;**

**T4: Interesting little argument there;**

**StormyFireDragon: Now that is a good idea, Storm: however, it'd seem a bit out there for this particular story; however, it actually sounds like something you could do: also, 'Master of Cliffhangers' you're going to hate me for this chapter;**

**Lawstudent092: You're going to want to Crucio me by the end of this chapter, J;**

_By the end of October, and the rapidly-approaching date that Harry had long dreaded because of what it meant for him, it was clear to everyone that a change was definitely in the air at Hogwarts._

_And, strange as it was going to sound to many, it was a change that was very much welcomed…_

Chapter 10: Son of the Marauder

As October started to disappear, a chill had started to spread across the grounds of Hogwarts as winter drew closer and closer;

Trees had started to show signs of losing their leaves and having frosted dew on their branches on the morning; some animals were growing restless as they neared their hibernation state while Harry heard from Hagrid that the centaurs were already discussing the Winter Solstice.

In the second week of October, however, Harry's life, and that of the students of Hogwarts, was thrown for a loop when Godric made an announcement at dinner…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"May I have your attention please?"

As one, the hall of students looked towards the head of the Great Hall where the Founders and their staff members were seated, Harry and his friends – which now included Draco – all sat on the tier beneath them as seemed to be their honorary position.

Rising from his seat, which was a large red throne-like chair that showed his heritage and title – with each of the Founders holding a similar throne in their House colours while Harry, to the amusement of many including himself, was sat in the former golden throne of Dumbledore – Godric cleared his throat before he addressed the members of the school.

"All Hallows Eve is upon us," Godric explained, the mention of the olden-time term for the date making a few people nervous as he continued, "Now, normally, from what I've been told by my colleagues and our student body, the tradition is for a grand sweet-filled feast with floating pumpkins and live bats. However, this year, I have decided that we are going to change that tradition and, as our soon-to-be-new members of staff will show you, we are going to embrace the fun, but honourable element of the night."

"How are we going to do that, Headmaster?" asked Colin Creevey, sat with a few Ravenclaw friends while the other students had also mostly split up to show the new seating allowances of the school.

"Well, Mr Creevey," answered Godric, now looking to the boy with a hint of a smile tugging at his face, "Your parents are Muggles, yes?"

"Y-Yes, sir," answered Colin, slightly embarrassed, but honoured at being addressed so warmly by such a legendary wizard.

"And," continued Godric, "On All Hallows, or as some call it, Halloween, what is the Muggle tradition for children and some adults?"

At this, whispers rose up while looks of excitement passed between students as the Knut dropped with what Godric was hinting at.

As for Colin, he gulped before he answered, "We…they dress up in costumes of monsters, ghouls and…and other such idols of Muggle fiction."

"Exactly," sniggered Godric, now looking to the students as he added, "And so, in accordance with that tradition, I have decided, and my colleagues have agreed, to throw a Samhain Ball to commemorate the date and, in accordance with traditions, we've all agreed that fancy dress as Muggles call it is _mandatory_. There will be a prize for the best costume and the house that shows the greatest creativity and pride as well as holding true to both the fun and honour of that night will receive 150 points!"

Now excitement was practically flowing through the Great Hall before Godric, calling for silence, continued with a more sombre tone as he explained, "Now, despite the chance to let your hair down, I cannot stress the importance of honour, decorum and respect for this night: for you see, out of respect for what the date also means to us in the world of magic…"

A few eyes glanced to Harry, who lowered his head while Hermione put a hand on his arm in support as Godric continued, "I have also asked Mr Hagrid as well as Professors Flitwick and Weasley to provide us with a memorable honour pyre that will be lit at sundown on Samhain and burn in memorial for everyone who lost someone to he who fell on that night."

"So Potter's getting another chance to play orphan, is he?" asked Ron, earning silencing spells from everyone within a five-seat radius.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Weasley," Severus remarked, his eyes looking to Harry as he added, "The pyre and the honour of the night is _not_ solely about one family's losses. Yes, as will be understandable, sadness and memory will be rich in force and strength for Mr Potter, but let's not forget each and every one of us has someone or knows someone who lost something to the Dark Lord and his allies."

At this, Hermione noticed Neville's hands trembling while Susan Bones had to be comforted by a handsome-looking older Hufflepuff as well as her friend Hannah and the Gryffindor, Lavender Brown.

"And so," continued Severus, apparently noticing the sorrow himself as he explained, "In honour of the fallen, there will be a pyre burning as well as a fireworks display that, though I am _not_ a Head of House any longer, I think we can agree on certain students who have our permission to aid Hagrid and Professors Weasley and Flitwick with the display…yes, Mr Finnegan and Messers Weasley, I'm talking to you."

Seamus' eyes lit up like Christmas trees as he looked to where Harry was still being comforted by his friends and betrothed; clearing his throat, the Irish-born half-blood rose to his feet before he explained, "Harry, and to everyone who remembers that night, I promise I'll do my best to honour the night's good and bad points. I won't let you down, mate."

"Thank you, Seamus," Hermione nodded, knowing that Harry had heard him, but the thought of what the night would mean had consumed Harry's consciousness.

"And Gryffindor has now earned the points Mr Weasley lost back plus an extra ten for remembering the true spirit of the night," added Salazar, knowing as did the other Founders about how much their young ward would struggle that night.

"In closing," Godric went on, smiling softly as he saw Harry lift his head, wiping his eyes to stop the tears that had wanted to show themselves, "I just want everyone to know that dishonour, any form of attempted vandalism or practical jokes will _not_ be tolerated at all. We the Founders as well as your Heads of House will be chaperoning this event and, for the young ladies out there wondering such things, _yes_, there will be dances, so if you wish a plus-one, a _date_ to the dance, then that's welcome. But _any_ trouble by _anyone_ and we will not be having a repeat of this: if all goes well, Hogwarts will be holding soirees like this to honour other nights of magic: the Solstices, New Year's, Eclipse nights, you get the picture."

With that, Godric sat back down, but the mood of Hogwarts was still piqued with excitement…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

For the rest of the week, there was talk in the common rooms, dorms and at odd moments in lessons and social times about the ball.

Since Godric had made fancy dress mandatory, the Half-Bloods and Muggle-born students soon became the popular crowd as people asked about ideas for costumes and how they'd go about ordering or making them. The Heads of House, as well as Minerva, Filius and the Founders, soon found themselves arranging appointments with students to magically forge the costumes and make them stand out in unique ways.

At the same time, Harry and Hermione found their time being consumed not only by ideas for costumes – though by the end of the week, Harry had an idea that the others approved of as a unit – but by their additional lessons with the Founders. For Harry, working with the Sword of Gryffindor and learning the Way of the Warrior was tough.

When he wasn't learning about the Warrior's Arsenal – a collection of spells and enchantments that he could use to help in a battle scenario – he was being drilled by Godric in the use of the sword. Despite its size and Harry's physical growth spurts and changes since his accident, the Lord of Hogwarts actually found it a little difficult to wield the sword at times, partially because, as Godric had told him after one battle melee, he didn't have the stomach to drive the sword into an enemy and end their life.

Sure, he'd threatened to use the sword, but that's all they were at the end of the day: threats.

As far as Harry was concerned, he could never really kill someone in cold blood; defeat them and even incapacitate them, maybe, but he could never kill them.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

What seemed to spur on Harry's warrior spirit, however, was when Godric, during the weekend following Godric's announcement, asked him, "Not even to save Hermione?"

The thought of Hermione in trouble seemed to bring the dragon back out from within Harry as he charged and took on Godric, but when it came to the finishing blow, he hesitated.

"No," he told Godric at the end of their session, "I'm not Him: I won't become a murderer…justice isn't the same as cold-blooded killing."

"So where does that leave Sirius?" asked a warm voice from behind, making Harry turn while Godric smiled as Remus was standing in the entrance to the sparring arena that the Headmaster had transfigured the Great Hall into.

Sheathing the sword, Harry wiped his brow before he summoned a bottle of water as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," answered Remus, his voice low, but edged with a hint of pride at seeing his cub growing stronger, "You keep saying you'll end Sirius and make him pay: you even threatened to kill him once. So if you're not a murderer, then what will you do?"

"I…" Harry began, his hand now shaking as he realised how right Remus was: what _would_ he do?

"I don't know."

"Then you should think on it," Remus advised him, indicating the door as he added, "Anyway, I've been looking for you, cub: I've got something for you. If we're okay to leave now, Godric?"

"Of course," Godric nodded, watching as Harry began to follow his teacher and friend out of the Great Hall; just as the boy reached the door, Godric then added, "Harry?"

Harry turned to face him, "Yes Dad?"

"About your dilemma," Godric told him, indicating the sword at Harry's side as he explained, "Leonidas isn't an instrument of death and destruction: it's a weapon for the defence of good and the innocent. If you insist that you can never kill with my old weapon, then I know that you're always going to be able to wield the blade perfectly."

As Harry smiled, he went to leave before he asked, "Leonidas?"

"Yes," answered Godric, shrugging with amusement as he added, "Lion Like."

Harry just smirked as he left with Remus, Leonidas now sheathed at his belt as they walked towards the man's office.

Leading Harry inside, Remus crossed the room before he opened the drawer to his desk and, reaching in, he withdrew what looked like a large piece of blank parchment.

"James would have wanted you to have this," Remus explained, smirking with a sly amusement as he told Harry, "Those would-be Marauders Fred and George _rescued_ it from Hagrid's office when we were clearing out Filch's old things. I always meant to give it to you, but with your lessons and time thinking on…on Sirius, I didn't know when would be the right time."

"What is it?" asked Harry, watching as Remus drew his wand and, tapping the parchment, his smile widened as he answered Harry in ten words:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…"

As Harry watched, the spot that Remus' wand touched seemed to ripple before it seemed to ink a set of lines and drawings onto the paper; as more and more of the parchment's inked portraits were revealed, Harry then saw a crest appear on the front-most piece of the parchment, a declaration inscribed over the crest;

_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

"Our greatest achievement back then," Remus sighed, removing his wand from the parchment as he explained, "It was created by your Dad with a little help from your Mum for the sake of helping us get about Hogwarts easily. Admittedly, we also used it to cause a bit of mischief, but we _were_ kids back then."

"You also used it to help you get out, didn't you?" asked Harry, unfolding the Map before he saw Hogwarts in its entirety, "Because you couldn't change in school."

"That's right," Remus nodded, looking to the map with Harry as he added, "All the passages and most of the rooms in Hogwarts are on this map: the only exceptions, I think, are the Chambers of the Founders and a couple of places that can only be found by those who know where they are. Anyway, to deactivate its magic, you just say Mischief Managed and it becomes a blank parchment again: as James' son and the only heir to the Marauders, I think it only fitting that you now have it, cub."

Harry felt tears in his eyes as he looked up and, with a fond smile, he nodded as he told Remus, "Thanks…Moony."

With a laugh, Remus nodded as he explained, "James was Prongs, an old friend of ours named Peter Pettigrew was Wormtail and, regrettably, Sirius was Padfoot."

"You're Animagi?" asked Harry, before he coughed as he added, "Well…Dad, Peter and…_him?_"

"Yes," Remus nodded, before he held out his hand as, with a fond smile, he then added, "And now you join our ranks, cub: from what Rowena and Salazar tell me, you've discovered your base Animagus form, right?"

Harry nodded before, taking a step back from the desk, he shifted into his white wolf form, the sight of the lupine creature bringing a wide-eyed look to Remus as Harry changed back before he explained, "I discovered how to do it over the summer, but I had Mum and Uncle Sal's help: since then, I've also found myself able to shift into a King Cobra that's as big as a Basilisk and a white phoenix, though Dad tested me and my tears aren't the same as a normal one."

"But don't you have the ability to shapeshift as a whole?" asked Remus, earning a nod from Harry before he added, "Well, then I guess we'd better be getting on with thinking of a name for you, cub: by the way, what about Hermione?"

"A black falcon," answered Harry, smiling as he remembered a moment at the end of September where Harry had _finally_ managed to help Hermione conquer her fear of flying thanks to their Animagus forms. "Aunt Helga's helping her discover any more because of these Bestial Arts she can learn, but nothing's come up yet."

"Then let's wait and see," Remus agreed, watching as Harry picked up the map and, clearing its pages, he thanked his friend and professor before he turned on his heel and left the office.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

It was the night before the Samhain Ball and, in the Lion's Wing, Harry couldn't sleep;

Tomorrow would be the first time, according to Hermione, where they'd actually shown any honour for the night and what it meant to everyone as a whole. As a group, the gang's costumes had finally been perfected and, when they'd seen them, the six friends had agreed – including Draco – that they were well-thought out and rather appropriate for Harry's choice – though it _had_ been Hermione who'd given him the idea.

To help ease his concerns for the night, Harry decided to check out the Marauder's Map some more; sat on his bed with a warm mug of hot chocolate in one hand, Harry looked through the pages, noticing Godric sitting in his office while Rowena was patrolling the corridors with Penelope Clearwater. Salazar was in his office with a detention-given student – Ron, _again_ – and Helga was helping Professor Sprout in one of the greenhouses.

As he turned the page again, Harry's eyes narrowed as something caught his attention;

Something that shouldn't be on the map.

'Must be more tired than I thought,' Harry thought to himself, clearing the map before he downed his drink and, laying down on his bed, he fell asleep.

However, when he checked the map again the following morning, the _impossibility_ was still there.

"Well," muttered Harry, "Isn't _that_ interesting?"

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

Haunting, but beautiful music echoed through the Great and Entrance Halls of Hogwarts as students and staff gathered for the start of the Samhain Ball, some of them having paired up with others while one or two skulked around the outside.

At the head of the hall, the Founders stood in vigilance as they observed their students: Godric had come to the party dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh, complete with mask and golden robes, though he'd had to forsake his sword for a kopesh blade and, when others saw it, they laughed as they caught the reference to the Sphinx, as in the winged _lion._

Rowena, much to the awe of the students, had come as a winged angel, though her head was covered with a headdress that was shaped like a falcon's head, which some managed to identify as making her look a little like Horus, an Egyptian _God_, though the idea and decoration of the costume was well thought out.

Helga had embraced her House emblem and actually dressed as a cross between a human and a badger, though she had magical claws attached to her hands and her face and snout were painted with her House colours while Salazar, being Salazar, had gone serpentine and dressed as Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent of Mayan/Aztec beliefs, his clothes covered in silver and emerald feathers while his snake fangs hung from his lips like vampire fangs.

Around the hall, other costumes and signs of Muggle beliefs were echoed in the students, though as Godric gave a snigger at how well this was doing, the hall suddenly went quiet as the torches flickered into silence and, from the head of the hall, a pillar of smoke billowed in, accompanied by a loud voice that gave a cry that was recognised by most of the Muggle-born and half-blood students.

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

Through the doors to the Great Hall, six _impossibly-brilliant_ figures entered; from left to right, they looked like actual representations of who they were meant to be, though with the added magical gleam.

On the furthest left was a dark-haired figure with – and many had to rub their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things – _green_ skin and ripped muscles on his arms, legs, neck, chest and stomach. His lower body was covered by tattered jeans while his upper body was exposed to the elements, though he seemed unaffected by the winter's cold.

Next to him was, like Rowena, a female that had dressed as a male character: a skin-tight black sleeveless shirt covered her upper body while black trousers covered her lower body, a pair of black leather-like boots covering her feet. As the students looked closer, they saw the red hair of Ginny Weasley – recognised by her face – had been replaced by dark-brown hair that was styled to a stuck-up sort of look. Over her back was a long black quiver of swan-flecked arrows while a longbow was held in her left hand.

On the furthest right, a figure that none of the group recognised at first – until they realised who they _couldn't_ see – was striding forwards in a suit of red and gold armour that covered him head-to-foot. His face-plate as well as certain parts of his lower body armour were the golden areas while his hands, feet and strangely, on his chest there were what looked like blue-coloured discs that pulsed magic and light.

Next to the armoured being was another female-as-a-male costume, some of them recognising her as Luna Lovegood, though any more thoughts of Loony Lovegood were taken down in that moment as they saw the fierce armour she wore as well as the strong, and _very_ painful-looking hammer in her hand. The armour looked like something a god might wear while a long red cape billowed out behind her as she walked, her eyes fixed solely on the front as she and her colleagues stood with their leaders.

One of the leaders was a dark-brown-haired girl with sleek straight hair and a suit of black leathery clothes, a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes while, at one side, the woman carried what looked like a futuristic style pair of Muggle handguns. As she walked next to the leader of the group, the young woman smirked as she saw the looks of fear and awe on the faces of their friends and peers.

As for the leader, appropriately-named as such as most of the Muggle and half-blood students knew, he was dressed in a suit of armour that was blue in colour with red and white highlights, his gauntlets, part of his abdomen area and his boots being the reddened part of his armour while the white and blue mixed in almost perfectly.

In one hand, the students saw he carried a metallic shield that was decorated with red circles and a single white star, the metal of the shield seemingly shimmering with power and radiance while, over his head, he wore a helmet with a letter A on his forehead while two eye-holes revealed bright green eyes that shone with power and magnificence as the group reached the front, both the leader and the woman at his side giving a salute of respect to the Founders.

"Sorry we're late, Headmaster," laughed Harry, indicating the gang around him as he added, "But you have no idea how long it takes to get these things just right."

"Harry?" asked Rowena, looking to the group as she asked, "What…who…what is this?"

"The Avengers," answered Hermione, removing her shades to reveal her bright brown eyes, "They're a group of Muggle superheroes with unique gifts and abilities, though one of them has abilities that more or less comes from a curse of fate. Given how appropriate it seemed, we chose Draco to be him."

"_That's_ Draco?" asked Severus, his vampire outfit having made a few of the students laugh while Harry smirked as he saw him.

"Don't tell anyone else about this," groaned Draco, his voice slightly deeper as he growled, "I agreed only cause I thought I'd wear that…"

He pointed to the armour-clad warrior on the far-right of Harry, who then lifted his face-plate, revealing Neville Longbottom's face, much to the shock of most of the students and staff.

"The apparently weak one with the strength given to him," Harry reasoned, laughing with Hermione as he asked, "Who else would we choose to be Iron Man?"

"Luna's Thor because she's apparently from another realm, which is why people target her and think her weird," Hermione explained, indicating Luna while she continued, "We chose Ginny to be Hawkeye because she's someone who knows when to wait and when to strike: naturally, Harry's Captain America, the leader of the pack. And what's Cap without Black Widow?"

"Blimey!" gasped Colin Creevey, lifting his Spiderman mask as he asked, "You mind if I…"

"Nah," Harry laughed, "Snap away, Colin: now, is this a party or a wake? Let's have some fun."

"Before we do," added Seamus Finnegan, who was dressed in a costume that looked like a mad scientist's outfit, his two _assistants_ being Fred and George as he added, "Harry, come over here."

With the Avengers – as the name seemed to stick from then on – behind him, Harry walked to the large window at the edge of the hall and, peering outside, he watched as Seamus flicked his wand. Seconds later, fireworks lit up the night, much to the awe of the students; however, as Harry watched, he gasped as he saw one go up that, when it exploded, revealed a stag and a doe racing across the stars, trailing lilies and lightning bolts in their wake.

When the fiery spectacle finally exploded, it revealed fiery writing that lit up the sky:

_IN MEMORY OF LILY AND JAMES POTTER_

_BRIGHT SOULS THAT SHINE THROUGH THE DARKEST OF NIGHTS_

_MAY THEY REST IN PEACE_

"Seamus…" gasped Hermione, her eyes watching as Harry turned and, embracing his friend and former dorm-mate, he thanked him before the music resumed and the party continued.

It was a perfect night as far as Harry was concerned…or at least it _would_ have been had an alarm suddenly not sounded through the school, cutting off the music and drawing the attention of the students forwards.

Godric, looking to Harry, watched as his son looked around before he lifted his hand and, with the simplest flick of his wrist, he summoned the Elder Wand from within a holster attached to his right-wrist gauntlet.

"What's going on?" asked Minerva, her cat outfit emphasising her Animagus form, though right now, her hackles would have been raised as she asked, "What's that alarm?"

"We added it to the wards," explained Godric, watching as Harry cast charms on the doors and windows, essentially putting the school into lockdown, "It sounds whenever someone who _shouldn't_ be here finds their way onto the grounds…Harry, wait!"

But Godric's cry came too late as, ripping off his helmet, Harry took off for the Entrance Hall, a look from the Headmaster giving the others the chance to follow him.

At the same time, Salazar summoned several stacks of chairs while Rowena calmed the students, each of the Founders hoping the same thing:

Harry would be all right.

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Activating the Marauder's Map – which he'd retrieved from Dobby when he left the Great Hall – Harry wandered along the fourth floor corridor, past a statue of a weeping angel and around a corner, his eyes fixed on the map as he looked up once before, seeing the thing he thought it would be, he deactivated the map again before he drew his wand.

Ahead of him, a shaggy-haired man was standing over a cowering figure, the cowering man with his hands held up while the shaggy-haired man just lifted his head and, out of Harry's eyesight, he smiled to himself before he muttered, "Hello Harry."

"Sirius," replied Harry, pointing his wand at the two as he added, "I knew you'd come."

"And did you know why?"

"Yes," answered Harry, casting a Binding Hex on the second figure, who squealed loudly as the ropes cut into his skin, giving Sirius a chance to turn around and look at Harry.

"Nice outfit," laughed Sirius, his hand now holding a wand as he told Harry, "Are you going to kill me, Harry?" asked Sirius.

"I would certainly like to," Harry replied, before he looked past Sirius and, seeing the cowering, pleading look in Pettigrew's eyes, he returned his attention to Sirius as the man spoke again.

"If you know why I'm here…"

"You're not going to do it," Harry told him, approaching the man with the Elder Wand in hand, "I realised something was wrong when the map revealed Pettigrew's name to me last night. I thought I was dreaming, but then I looked again this morning and that's when it hit me: you never killed him and you never killed those Muggles either."

"No," Sirius answered, his left eye twitching with hidden rage as he added, "But now I can: now I'll avenge Lily and James and then, once that's done, my life is done."

"And what about me?" asked Harry, now standing a foot's distance from Sirius as he asked, "You're my godfather, aren't you?"

"I am."

"So is your revenge more important than your promise to protect me?" asked Harry, his voice edged with curious amusement as he asked, "That's not the Uncle Padfoot I remember."

"Puns intended, I assume?" asked Sirius with a hint of a smile, his eyes fixed on Harry as he told him, "If I leave here now, he'll get away and we'll never clear my name. Peter should have realised that if Voldemort didn't kill him, then I would: I'd have asked Remy to do it, but I know how he feels for me."

"Not after tonight, he won't," argued Harry, now pointing his wand at Sirius with determination in his eyes.

"This is the only way," Sirius argued, "He betrayed them, but so did I: I was the one that convinced Lily to switch Secret Keepers. I was the one that insisted I'd be the easier target: this is my penance."

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head as he added, "You won't do it, Sirius: I won't kill you, but I won't let my Father's memory be sullied because his best friend, a man who sees me as the son he never had, becomes a murderer."

"Harry…" gasped Pettigrew, watching as Harry stepped past Sirius and, standing over the small, fat man at his feet, he scowled as Pettigrew added, "Bless you boy: you're so much like your Father, like James…we were the best of friends, but you can't know. You wouldn't understand the power the Dark Lord possesses. I thought of Sirius: what would he have done? What would you have done?"

"I would have _died!_" thundered Sirius, Harry then aware of his friends having joined him and Sirius; as the man went to strike at Pettigrew again, Harry stopped him as he added, "I'd have died than betray Lily or James, betray _Harry:_ I would never have done it! Not for all the money or glory: my life would have been a given sacrifice for my friends! And now Peter…"

"No, Sirius," Harry repeated, holding him back as he added, "You won't kill him."

"Oh Harry…" Pettigrew began, but stopped when Harry summoned out Leonidas, the sword gleaming in the firelight of the corridor as Harry's eyes fixed on Pettigrew's.

"Don't!" gasped Hermione, her voice attracting Sirius' attention as Harry raised the sword.

"I said Sirius wouldn't kill you…"

"Harry," gasped Neville, "Don't do it!"

"I didn't say _I_ wouldn't!"

"Harry, _NO!_"

The sword came down with a heavy clang…and then, silence…

'Now…it's over…'

**Chapter 10 and…holy Merlin: did Harry just…did he just…he couldn't have, could he?**

**What will this mean for the days ahead?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: The aftermath of Halloween Night and the legacy of the Avengers is set in stone as Harry helps the others discover their Animagus forms; plus, a battle between old friends makes Harry recall what happened with Draco while Hermione speaks to Harry about that night…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: **_**Halloween**_

**How did you like it, then? A bit weird and **_**perhaps**_** a bit cheesy, but I thought of it as a way to introduce the guys as a whole and, like the Marauders, give them an identity that sticks; I hope everyone saw the hidden meaning behind Harry and the others' choices of costume, but I also hope you enjoyed the scene;**

_**AN2: Cliffhanger**_

**Now, though a lot of you may get what's coming, let me just remind you that Harry is Grey in this story, so he's prone to dark moments;**

_**AN3: Tournament**_

**Also, I have decided, after much deliberation, **_**not**_** to have the Tournament in the story, but fourth year **_**will**_** have an adventure of its own in it that, naturally, will involve our hero; so enjoy…**


	11. The End of an Era

Son of Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **SEE FIRST CHAPTER

**Plot: **Forget-Me-Not' Challenge Response: Lockhart's spell on Harry was successful…and then some: he's forgotten _everything:_ his parents, his magic and even his name; when a surprise group makes an appearance and an offer to help Harry, the future of Hogwarts' Golden Boy is changed, but not without a faithful friend joining him on this new path…

**Author's Note: **For those who are wondering, this story came to me as I was reading through my other response to this challenge – Who Am I? – and is going to be slightly longer than that one; there will be a few surprises that I have planned, but of course, it will have our favourite lions standing together so enjoy…also note that the first line from the story is from the CoS movie, so bear with me there.

**Dedication: **I wish to dedicate this story to NessaFefales and rangerhero for undertaking the challenge associated with this story: their stories, _Destiny's Clean Slate _and _Truth From the Dark_ are the recommended reads for this story along with _Powers of the Phoenix Child_ by Lawstudent092 and _Champions of the Founders_ by StormyFireDragon

**Key Pairings: **Harry/Hermione; Godric/Rowena

**Other Pairings: **Eventual Neville/Luna; Eventual Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

'Thought'

/_Parseltongue_/

'_Mind Links_'

**Review Answers:**

**Dagger-Seishin: Switched? Err…why?**

**WhiteElfElder: The outsider who joins the pack later on; I can see it;**

**EndlessChains: Then enjoy;**

**Daithi4377: Not for much longer;**

**StormyFireDragon: Let's see if you're right about it, Storm;**

**Lawstudent092: Ah! No, please, not the Crucios; still, at least I'm not dead…just dead **_**mad;**_

"_It sounds whenever someone who shouldn't be here finds their way onto the grounds…Harry, wait!"_

_But Godric's cry came too late as, ripping off his helmet, Harry took off for the Entrance Hall, a look from the Headmaster giving the others the chance to follow him._

_At the same time, Salazar summoned several stacks of chairs while Rowena calmed the students, each of the Founders hoping the same thing:_

_Harry would be all right._

Chapter 11: The End of an Era

Dark days had come to Hogwarts;

Now to mention that didn't mean that it was to be taken literally: with the approaching Yuletide celebrations and festivities, talks had turned to the hope that many had for a Winter Solstice party after the success and enjoyment shared by all at the Halloween Ball. Unlike the Halloween one, the Solstice party was going to be treated like an actual soiree, so for some students, dates were needed while others began to take lessons from Rowena and Minerva on dancing and etiquette.

However, in the Lion's Wing and with the now-officially-named Avengers, things were rather dark.

Harry James Potter, Lord of the Founders' legacies, Son of the Founders and Master of Hogwarts, stood at the window to his bedroom, watching as the first snowfall of December lay itself upon the ground. In his hand, Leonidas seemed to tremble as Harry's mind cast itself back to the day he'd finally done as he'd promised and avenged his parents.

"You didn't do it…"

Turning with a soft smile, Harry looked to his fiancée and Lady of Hogwarts, Hermione Potter, her eyes filled with a sense of worry as she picked up on the thoughts of her beloved.

"No," replied Harry, returning his attention to the window while Hermione stood at his side, resting her head on his shoulder, "But I wanted to…"

_Flashback Start_

"_I said Sirius wouldn't kill you…I didn't say I wouldn't!"_

"_Harry, NO!"_

_As Hermione's voice filled Harry's ears, it seemed to be enough to snap Harry out of his vengeful, bloodthirsty state and, with a heavy clang, Leonidas struck the spot right _next_ to Pettigrew's head, the distance so close that the edge of the blade scarred Pettigrew's face while some of his hair fell to the ground._

_As Harry felt his rage turn into fear at what he'd _nearly_ done, he was aware of Pettigrew collapsing in a dead faint while Hermione, running up to him, wrapped her arms around him while Harry dropped Leonidas to the floor._

"_I…I wanted to do it…" Harry sobbed, aware of his adoptive Father retrieving his ancestral weapon, "I…I only thought of…thought of them: what they'd do."_

"_They wouldn't want you to become a murderer," Hermione told him, before she kissed him on the lips, the touch seemingly bringing the light back out from within Harry's darkness as she added, "Not their boy, not their best friend: nobody."_

"_Hermione," Godric remarked, earning a look from Harry and Hermione as he handed the sword back to his son, "Take Harry and your friends back to the Wing. Rest up: Sirius Black, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I offer you sanctuary."_

"_Accepted," Sirius told him, helping Hermione pick Harry up before he added, "Thank you, Headmaster: it's a real honour to meet the Founder of my pup's House."_

"_Honours later, duties now," Godric replied, indicating the corridor as he added, "Go, I'll come and find you all later."_

_With that, the Avengers left the hallway, though only Hermione heard Harry's thoughts;_

'Now, it's over…'

_Flashback End_

"If it hadn't been for you, Mia," Harry told her, putting his arm around his fiancée as he held her, "I would have been taken to a place from which I could never come back from."

"But you didn't," Hermione replied, lifting her head so that she could place a kiss on Harry's cheek, "And you don't ever need to say thank you either, Harry: that's what being soul-bonded means. Your pain is my pain, but so too are my fears and comforts yours: you can't let yourself be consumed by rage like that. If you do, then…I don't know what happens, but it won't be nice."

"What?" asked Harry softly, "Not even for saving and protecting you, love?"

"Not even for me, Harry," Hermione told him, now meeting his gaze as she added, "Promise me that no matter what, not even if it is my life on the line, you'll _never_ let that darker side of you show again. You're too good, Harry James Potter: darkness, evil and blackness: they can't claim you. Promise me!"

"I promise," Harry told her, his arms now wrapped around Hermione as she breathed in his scent and the essence of his magic, both of them knowing that the promise was one that was well and truly iron-clad.

A promise that bound them together forever.

Just like their bond itself, really…

_**Son of Hogwarts**_

In the last week of the Winter Term, Salazar and Severus introduced the four Houses to a proper means of duelling, though given what the gang had seen when Harry had duelled Draco, it wasn't something that they were unused to.

In that particular battle, the spells and magic had been enough to fill the very air of the Great Hall with the magic used by the two combatants: it didn't matter that they were friends now, the two of them battled like rivals only could and, as the battle came to a close, it was a case of magical exhaustion that drove them to their knees, the battle between them being claimed as a draw. (1)

However, when the time came for the obligatory battle between Houses – a competition that the mentors used at the end of each meeting of the Duelling Club – and a collective cry of support called for Harry to take to the stage, it was another rival all together that chose to speak up.

"I'll battle you, Potter!" sneered Ron Weasley, clambering onto the stage as he exclaimed, "I'll finally expose you for the Dark Wizard and monster that you are."

"If you say so, Weasley, I'm through trying to tell you otherwise," drawled Harry, earning a look from his friends before he declared, "No Unforgivables, nothing life-threatening and, as always, the duel will be over due to exhaustion or disarm and defeat."

"No!" hissed Ron, then aware of a look of fury from the other mentors while Harry, checking his surroundings for a way to work in the duel, snapped to attention as Ron added, "The only way I'll let this end is when you _beg_ me for mercy. Because otherwise, you dark wizard, you'll have to _kill_ me!"

"No I won't," Harry reasoned, drawing the Elder Wand while Ron drew his wand from his robe and, with the obligatory salute, the duel began.

Ron went immediately on the offensive, casting his first spell, which seemed to target Harry's limbs as he tried to take Harry down with strength and ferocity.

Harry, however, merely batted aside each spell without much effort, his only spell from the duel thus far being a shielding charm to protect his body. (2)

"Fight back, Dark Wizard!" hissed Ron, "Show yourself for what you are: letting people like Malfoy brainwash you while making nice with that greasy bastard! You don't deserve to call yourself Lord of anything…except Dark Lord, anyway."

"Can you _ever_ come up with a new insult, Weasley?" asked Harry, using a Glacius spell to freeze the ground near Ron and, when the idiot went to move from his next spell, he slipped hard, a loud, sickening crunch from the boy's left ankle as he fell to the ground.

"See?" asked Ron, his hand pointed at Harry, "See the curse he used?"

"You slipped, Weasley," Severus remarked, before he nodded as he added, "Nice use of your surroundings, Harry."

"Dark suits the dark, is it?" asked Ron, earning a sigh from Harry before he turned to Salazar.

"May I?"

"Do it," Salazar nodded, watching as Harry waved his wand once and, pointing it at Ron, he did something he'd wanted to do all autumn;

"_Petrificus Maximos!_"

When the spell hit Ron, everyone watched as the red-head was frozen in a Medusa-like fashion, the sight of the magic stunning a few of the students while others looked to Harry with shock and fear.

"He's all right," Harry explained as he pocketed his wand, the duel clearly over as he added, "Just petrified: I can cast a reversal spell, but this _is_ a duel. Like Petrificus Totalus, Petrificus Maximos freezes every motor and reactive function of the body, though you still breathe and your heart still beats: you just can't move, speak or make any move of your own: _Repetrus!_"

With that second spell, Ron was freed, his hand pointing again at Harry as he snapped, "See? See? He wants to petrify me like the Basilisk: what else would you expect from the next Dark Lord?"

"Enough," Godric commanded, the sight of the headmaster's appearance parting the crowd of students like the Red Sea as he added, "Professor Slytherin, would you be so kind as to contact St Mungo's? Harry, would you and Lady Potter come with me?"

"Yes Headmaster," replied Harry, hopping down from the platform.

However, as he reached the door, the entire hall heard Ron exclaim, "Turn your back on me? Never again: _Crucio!_"

Before anyone else could react, Harry had moved and, with Leonidas in hand, he absorbed the curse onto the sword before it had hit Hermione; at the same time, Salazar had bound Ron while Severus kept other students at bay.

Once Harry was sure that the curse wouldn't do anymore damage, he lowered it before he hissed, "Get that _thing_ out of my sight before I change my mind about mercy!"

Ron was dragged, stunned and petrified once more, out of the Great Hall.

Harry, meanwhile, followed Godric to the Headmaster's office where he asked, "What was going through his mind, Headmaster?"

"Nothing," Godric answered, holding up a parchment that was on his desk as he explained, "Amelia sent me this just last night and I spent the majority of the day tracking the sources, but there's no mistaking it."

"Mistaking what, Headmaster?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore," answered Godric, "He was in Hogsmeade and, according to Amelia's resources, he was using his wand there during your last Hogsmeade visit. If I had to guess…"

"He got to Ron," Harry sighed, holding Hermione as she sensed his rage and sorrow, "Used his jealousy and rage to try and get back to the school; back to _me_, but why?"

"That's what else she told me," Godric explained, indicating the parchment while his son and future daughter-in-law took their seats at last; clearing his throat, Godric explained, "After Dumbledore's last attempt to manipulate his way into the school, Amelia had a man known only as Croaker look into the reasons for such hostility and why he'd block your magic. Anyway, shortly after Halloween, we found out why."

Here, he tapped the parchment and, as Harry watched, words rose from it before they formed a rather cryptic, chilling message;

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…_

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…_

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_

As the wording fell again, Godric sighed before he explained, "Now that, Harry and Hermione, is a prophecy, but it's not a true one: you see, it was given by…"

"Professor Trelawney," Hermione muttered, remembering the warning given to the Divination teacher back in September, "So this…"

"Yes," Godric answered, heaving a sigh of regret as he told Harry, "This is why Pettigrew betrayed your parents, Harry: this is why your magic was blocked and this is what Dumbledore wants so badly with you. When he was in Hogsmeade, and we'll get St Mungo's to confirm it, but it's the belief of Amelia, our Minister and myself that Dumbledore used his wand and magic to flood Weasley's mind with thoughts of revenge, much like what you felt on Halloween. Then, giving him the knowledge he needed to exact that revenge, he sent the boy back into Hogwarts."

"What'll happen to him?" asked Hermione.

"St Mungo's will look him over," Godric explained, his voice edged by a hint of hope as he told them, "If they do indeed find traces of such spells, then it's in your hands, Harry. As heir of our lines, you have the most influence on the Wizengamot: in the meantime, Dumbledore has been suspended as Chief Warlock and replaced by Madame Longbottom: furthermore, as I said before, we have a new Minister."

"We do?" asked Harry, "Whom?"

"A friend," answered Godric, his smile making Harry and Hermione feel uncomfortable as he added, "But I kid you not, I'm being very…_serious._"

The Golden Couple's eyes widened as the Knut dropped.

"No…way…"

**Chapter 11 and oh boy, it looks like someone's getting desperate, but what does this mean for the future of our heroes?**

**Also, now armed with knowledge of the prophecy and knowledge of the new Minister – **_**takes a moment to cheer**_** – can Harry find it in himself to be ready for Dumbledore's next move?**

**Keep Reading to Find Out…**

**Next Chapter: The legacy of the Avengers is set in stone as Harry helps the others discover their Animagus forms; plus, a quick summary of the rest of the year and, as third year comes to a close and fourth year draws close, Godric has some sad news for Harry…**

**Please Read and Review…**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_**: **_**This chapter**_

**Okay, so this is a sort of filler between third and fourth year, so I hope you all enjoyed it; now, for those wondering, yes, Ron is coming back and, against my better judgments, I'm actually going to redeem him as **_**so**_** many keep going on about my choice to have Harry oppose him because of the wand incident;**

**Anyway, the next chapter will set up fourth year and you'll find out how exactly I'm going to change fourth year without a Tournament;**

_**AN2: Poll**_

**Also, in case you haven't already noted, I've narrowed down the choices on the poll to five options, so go and cast your votes for the first official crossover of 2015;**

_**AN (1)**_

**I decided to summarise the duel as I found writing it to this standard rather difficult: so you'll just have to use your imagination**

_**AN (2)**_

**The act of Harry batting away the spells comes from how so many could do it in the movies – like when Harry tried to disarm Tom, but he just deflected it or when he uses Sectumsempra on Severus only to have him swat it away;**


End file.
